Let’s take a look at some of the key ways that our diet and lifestyle habits have changed as a result of COVID-19 lockdown:

We are eating more high sugar/high fat foods

In the UK, 42% of people reported that they were now snacking more on cakes, biscuits, confectionary and savoury snacks than before the lockdown. Higher sugar foods encourage a release of endorphins, also known as “happy hormones”. And it is known through various studies that during times of stress, humans often turn to high fat and high sugar foods.

Our appetites have increased

Our appetite is also affected by times of stress, and this was noticed in the Italian study. 34% of respondents reported an increase in appetite.

We have gained weight

Almost 49% of the respondents in the Italian study reported that they had gained weight during the lockdown. And weight gain was reported mainly by people who also mentioned that they had either lost their jobs or had to start working from home.

We are shopping more locally

An interesting finding in both the UK and Italian reports was that people had made a conscious effort to shop more locally, especially moving towards local farmers markets and buying veg boxes online. And another interesting point was that 35% of families were reporting to waste less food than usual.

Are we drinking more alcohol?

Headlines in Irish newspapers showed that alcohol sales here were up 40% compared to usual at certain stages of the lockdown. While increases in alcohol consumption were not reported by the UK and Italian study, it may be interesting to see what the Irish research will tell about our alcohol habits during lockdown.

We are quitting smoking and exercising more

And lastly, not all habits changed for the worse. In Italy, 3.3% of smokers reported to have quit as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, and 38% of the respondents reported to be more physically active. In the UK, more people reported to have time now to cook at home and eat with their families. And less people were eating take-away regularly.

Do any of these habit changes sound familiar to you? Let us know in the comment section below how your habits have been affected by the lockdown. And keep your eyes peeled for the Irish data coming out over the next while to see how our habits here compare to the UK and Italian information!

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