Has COVID-19 changed our eating habits

Has COVID-19 changed our eating habits for the healthier?

What we eat is habitual, in fact, when and whether we eat tends to be habitual too – which makes the data that emerged after lockdown all the more interesting. Will these habits continue or will we see another shift? It has been suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic and the links that have been drawn between being unhealthy and chances of survival, are what is driving these changes in our eating habits. Following that logic, it is likely that many of these new healthy eating habits will be here to stay, even as we emerge into a post-covid world. For example, lockdown did see a rise in home cooking, although it wasn’t necessarily all soups and salads.

Baking is back

Did it ever go anywhere? Either way, data from Google Trends shows that searches in the UK for many home baking recipes such as hot cross buns, cinnamon rolls, banana bread and soda bread have risen sharply since lockdown. Although baking isn’t particularly healthy, we can’t say it is a bad thing to see more people ‘getting their Mary Berry on’ in their own home, particularly with Christmas upon us!

organic appreciation

There has been a surge in demand for organic and sustainable foods, with retailers reporting a large increase in sales for organic products. Perhaps this is because organic products are viewed as healthier? Research supports this, showing that organic foods have more nutrients than conventional foods – with between 20-40% more antioxidant compounds.

Habits are changing

Eating behaviour is a behaviour that has been learned and ingrained over the years; however, it is clear that the COVID-19 event has caused a significant shift for the better in the habits of some, but not all, people. Some people put it down to a greater awareness of how what we eat translates to our overall health; others have put it down to just having more time available, which they have used to learn and cook new recipes; whereas there is also a suggestion that being stuck at home has meant less exposure to unhealthy temptations in the office or eating out.

Some habits are changing for the worse

Although the online data and findings of various polls are showing that more people have changed their eating habits for the healthier, some have reported that they are eating less healthily in response to the crisis. Being stuck at home with more time on our hands hasn’t been great for everyone. Many have been filling this time with snacking, and around 11% of the people asked in a recent Dutch study reported they had started drinking more alcohol as a result. Despite this, the overall data points toward a desire from more people to buy and make healthier food than not. So it seems that COVID-19, at least for now, has changed our eating habits for the healthier. Whether this continues for the foreseeable future will be interesting to see.