What have Aussies been eating in 'lockdown'?
It’s official, our lifestyles have had a forced overhaul since lockdown. Life as we knew it changed overnight and that included what we were putting in our mouths! Now I’m sure all of you are having a chuckle thinking yep – I’ve definitely tweaked my diet a little……
Well here’s some data straight from the companies that are bringing food to our doors. According to Deliveroo, our go-to lockdown meal has been fish and chips. Their data reveals that in the last month, deliveries for take away ‘fish n chips’ were up 597%! It was also the top rated search on their app. You will also feel validated in knowing that ice cream sales have gone up by 139% too…. 😊
The app has also seen a surge in orders of ‘family meals’ where previously the most popular order was a burger. The importance of food and sharing it with loved ones has become more important than ever before. We have certainly cherished family dinners and have been making a point of openly communicating at meals times to ‘check in’ with each other. Meals are a great way to socialise and bring your family together.
In terms of what time we are eating, we seem to be having dinner earlier than normal. Pre-lockdown, meal times were around 7.03pm according to deliveroo, whereas now, 6.23pm is the new norm. I can certainly relate to this – whilst my husband was working from home, the kids had no activities and we had nothing better to do, we were eating much earlier than we were previously. Has anyone else actually enjoyed slowing down a little? I’m sure you’ve all had those nights in the past where you fly in the house, throw together a meal before heading out the door again – sometimes it’s nice to stop and breathe and enjoy the moment!
Some other data that resonated with me was the night we choose to be our ‘foody night.’ Saturday nights used to be our time to indulge but data from Deliveroo shows that Fridays are now our ‘foody night.’ I don’t know about you but after a week of home learning, we’re ready to chill out on a Friday! Anyone relate?
Speaking of foodie nights – we have also seen a huge surge in alcohol consumption. I’m talking 70% of us are drinking more than we normally would and one third are drinking every day! Eeeeek that’s a lot!
So how have your food habits changed? Have they changed at all? Has anyone entered a 'grazing pattern' where you mindlessly eat throughout the day? The reality is that most of us have had some sort of nutritional change during lockdown.
If you're anything like our family, it hasn't been all bad! We have been experimenting a lot more with food and sharing responsibilities of 'cooking duties.' We have been spending a lot more time in the kitchen, trialing new recipes and experimenting with the kids. It's giving them a good perspective of ingredeints and the nutritional value of food.
So as we potentially ease restrictions, what will you take away from your time in lockdown? I'll leave you with that question and maybe you can implement some long term changes in your life going forward......