More than 8 in 10 Americans changed their food habits because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey released by the International Food Information Council.
The survey, which polled 1,011 adults from April 8-16, found more people cooking at home and buying their groceries online ”“ not a surprise, considering the shelter-at-home edicts put in place by most state governments. However, the newly homebound starting making changes to their food consumption, with 43% of respondents following a specific diet or eating patterns, with intermittent fasting as the most common change and clean eating ranking second.
Snack consumption was also on the rise, with 41% of respondents under 35 said they were snacking more than normal ”“ in comparison, only 26% of respondents ages 50 and older admitted to more snacks between meals. Parents with children under 18 were more prone to snacking (41%) than adults without children (29%). Roughly one-quarter of respondents said their snacking occurred multiple times a day and another one-third snacked at least daily.
Food obsessions were more likely among women than men, with 31% of women acknowledging they were more preoccupied with food during this period, compared with 22% of men. And 24% of women said they were eating more, versus 17% of men.
Nonetheless, the homebound Americans were also doing their research into proper nutrition, with 41% of respondents stating they knew “at least a fair amount about the Dietary Guidelines” ”“ 10 years ago, that percentage was only 23%. Nearly one in five respondents were using a mobile health monitoring device or app, with two-thirds of those users claiming it helped to lead them into making healthy changes in their life. And 74% were trying to limit or avoid sugars in their diet this year, with the most common tactic being water consumption rather than drinking caloric beverages.
Furthermore, many respondents were embracing vegan meal choices. The survey found 28% were eating more protein from plant sources, 24% were consuming more plant-based dairy and 17% were choosing more plant-based meat alternatives.
