Crunch time for dieters is 4.12pm

A new study says 4.12pm is the time people are most likely to crave unhealthy food.

As people try to stick to a healthy start to 2014, 4.12pm is when they should most be on their guard, according to research.

The study, carried out in Britain for soft fruit campaign Seasonal Berries, found people are most likely to crave unhealthy food in the afternoon - with the most popular time being 4.12pm.

Just under half of Britons (45 per cent) said afternoon snacking was the main reason they broke their new year diets, while 35 per cent succumbed to the daily afternoon hunger slump, with chips, biscuits and chocolate named as the biggest downfalls.

The research, conducted by OnePoll, questioned 1000 men and women in January about their diet failures.

According to the poll, more than half of those questioned (59 per cent) said other people often contributed to their diet failures - more than a third (37 per cent) blamed their partner, while 11 per cent said colleagues forced unhealthy snacks on them.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) said a lack of flavour in their diet made it harder to eat healthily, while 36 per cent blamed it on seeing other people eat what they want.

The research also suggested men have more willpower when it comes to diets, with 69 per cent sticking to their healthy eating plan one month on, compared with 63 per cent of women.

Nutritionist Dora Walsh, founder of Nutriheal Nutrition Clinics, said: "Sticking to a diet for some people can be tricky, and understanding that 4.12pm is the time people crave sweet and unhealthy snacks means that you should be prepared for this so you don't ruin a diet plan.

"At this point in the day, blood sugar can be low and cause you to crave sweet treats but doing things like eating little and often throughout the day and having pre-prepared snacks can help."


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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