By Emma Lindsay
August 3 2020, 15.05
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More than half of British people want more control over the food they consume, says a new poll from YouGov, released last Friday.
Boris Johnson announced new measures to tackle the obesity crisis last week, including large restaurants listing calorie content on their menus.
Asked: “Do you think that restaurants should, or should not, have to display the calories contained in items on menus?”, 55% of UK respondents said yes.
As the UK eases out of lockdown and people once again head back to their favourite restaurants, they are clearly doing so with a new perspective and attitude towards their own health.
Holly Sugars, 36, a nutritional therapist and owner of Food Envy, West Byfleet said: “The last few months have brought a new understanding of what it is to be healthy, and people are ready to face up to the responsibility they need to take.”
However, Mrs Sugars also pointed out that calorie counting is not always the order of the day.
“Calorie counting isn’t always helpful, it’s about what contains the calories. You need to get all the food groups balanced first, then worry about the calories.”
Mrs Sugars also warned against becoming too obsessive or restrictive: “Food can be a wonderful way to celebrate and to indulge after months of restraint and isolation. Everyone should feel able to truly enjoy their food and be decadent from time to time.”
The YouGov survey was answered by 3,132 respondents in a week when the Prime Minister also announced banning the advertising of food high in fat, salt and sugar before 9pm online and on television.
Boris Johnson has said that the UK need to prioritise losing weight in order to reduce the risk of a second spike in cases of Covid-19.
