No sex please, we're peckish

A shocking new survey has revealed that at least one in ten Brits would prefer a packet of crisps to sex.

It’s sad but true. According to the survey by home delivery brand Diet Chef, 12% of Brits would rather spend their time snacking than love-making. Plus 6% admit to regular snacking in bed which, I imagine, only makes things worse. No-one likes crummy sheets.

Booze or biscuits?

The craziness doesn’t stop there. ‘Snackoholics’ are the new alcoholics, with a third of us (34%) preferring to give up alcohol over snacks. The stats are scary – as a nation, we ooze saturated fat. 61% of us eat at least one packet of crisps a day (some have as many as five or six a day); we eat 45 million+ chocolate bars a day, and 78 million cakes and/or biscuits a day. Give me greens!

What the experts say

Nutritionist Caron Leckie, who works for Diet Chef, was appalled with the results: “Our survey shows the extent to which snacking has got out of control – most of the people we surveyed said they snack out of habit or boredom, which shows people are eating without thinking, not out of necessity.” It'll come as no surprise then, to hear that Caron recommends the Diet Chef programme for snackoholics.

Snackoholics anonymous

Here are some of Caron’s top 5 tips, to cut down on snacking:

Where do you do it? Consider where you are most likely to snack.  Is it in the office?  Or at home?  When you know where you snack, you can focus your efforts on clearing out your snack drawer.

Distract yourself:  Occupy your mind with other things – go for a walk, phone a friend, read a book, take a bath… try  a few things and see what takes your mind off those snacks.

Find an alternative:  If you are craving chocolate, try a low calorie chocolate drink, or instead of crisps, try popcorn. A healthier option means guilt-free snacking.

Fill up on fruit and veg: We should be aiming for at least five a day, so if you feel yourself reaching for a snack, make it fruits or vegetables. They’ll keep your belly full before meal times.

Don’t forget drinks: Drinks count too.  Whether it’s a fizzy drink, orange juice or the mid-morning caramel latte, they all add up. Try choosing a healthier alternative, like green tea or water to cut the calories. Also, thirst can often be mistaken for hunger.

Are you a snackoholic? Or do you believe there's nothing wrong with the odd packet of crisps? Talk to us in the Comments Box below…

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