Brits dodge traditional food to loose weight

Lifestyle | Article

Apparently 1 in 5 Brits are on a perpetual diet.

Brits are a nation of perpetual purgers with over half claiming to have been on a diet in the last 12 months according to new research.

Nearly 1 in 5 claim they are 'always on a diet' painting a rather stark picture of our relationship with food. What's worse is that even though 72% believe eating sensibly involves eating a range of nutritional foods the vast proportion of people are still severely limiting themselves on foods such as cheese.

The research conducted by the British Cheese Board uncovered that as well as cutting out high fat foods such as cakes and crisps, people also admitted to cutting down on, bread, potatoes, and pasta. Dairy based products seem to be hit the hardest however with 49% cutting down on cheese and 1 in 10 also denying themselves milk and yoghurt leaving their calcium intake dangerously low.

Even though nearly a quarter said they missed cheese the most when on a diet almost 1 in 5 said they wouldn't even allow themselves low fat alternatives that would enable them to get the calcium they needed without jeopardising their weight loss.

This research has once again highlighted that Brits are still falling for fad diets rather than committing themselves to a healthy yet balanced eating plan. The importance of eating across all food groups has been emphasised for years, and yet it seems it is something we are still struggling with.

• Is it because of the varied media reports about what we should and shouldn't eat?

• Is it a desperate need to be thinner at any cost?

• Or are we genuinely still unaware of our nutritional needs?

Find out more on the British Cheese Board website and why not tell us about what you eat in our forum area. We have a weight loss thread active now - click here - to join in.

February 2008 - Peterborough UK Community Website