Brits Eat More than Three Times the Amount of Ingredients Than They Think, Daily
When it comes to snacking, it’ll probably come as no surprise that us Brits are not in-the-know about the foods, ingredients and calories that we’re consuming.
In fact, a recent survey comissioned by Ryvita has revealed that the average Brits consume a massive 121 different ingredients each and every day, but only think they’re eating 37. Equating to a whopping three times more than they think, it seems like we just don’t know enough about our diets and eating habits!
The survey found that over breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks, the average adult will take on an extra 84 ingredients than they thought were on their plate.
As far as food shopping is concerned, one in four Brits admitted to dismissing the labels on their pre-packed food and drink items, with 78% saying that they never stop to consider what type of ingredients are hidden within their food. E-numbers and additives weren’t thought as being included in ‘normal’ foods.
A nutritionist at Ryvita, Rob Hobson, commented, “The research found that each day, we consume far more ingredients than we think. Most people think that the food they eat is much more simple and pure than it actually is, I would urge shoppers to look at the labels on their food and drink so they are aware of what ingredients they are consuming.”
The survey also found that cornflakes were the most popular breakfast amongst Brits, despite it containing an average of 13 ingredients per serving. These include maize, salt, sugar and multiple different additives.
The Cream of Tomato soup was crowned the lunch of choice, despite the fact that the average tin contains 16 different ingredients, including acidity regulators, sugars and modified maize starch.
Lasagna was the most-preferred dinner option and contains a surprising average of 51 ingredients per plate. This is nearly double than what we assume is in a single meal!
Three-quarters of those surveyed revealed that they had no idea of the maximum amount of salt they should consume on a daily basis, which could prove fatal to their health in the long-term. Nearly 90% of respondents reported that they think salt, sugar and fat content should be labeled more clearly on a food packaging label to clear-up any dietary confusions.
Rob Hobson added, “By either making things from scratch or becoming savvier in the supermarket by reading labels, we can understand what we are consuming and help manage our RDA for things such as salt, sugar and saturated fat. For a nutritious lunch, why not make a delicious beetroot hummus that is rich in iron and laden it on top of a fibre packed Ryvita Dark Rye Crispbread, made of three simple ingredients; rye, water and salt.”
