More Calories Consumed Through Alcohol than Food on Holiday
Posted by Sue Anderson, 6th Mar 2012
Our latest research has revealed that young British holidaymakers drink more calories than they eat each day on holiday, due to the amount of alcohol consumed. Whilst holidays are well known for being a time for relaxation and indulgence when it comes to food, we've found that young British holidaymakers drink more calories through alcohol than they eat each day on holiday.
We polled a total of 1,736 young adults aged 18-25 from around the UK took part in the poll, all of whom had been on a week-long holiday abroad in the last year.
Respondents were initially asked 'Did you drink alcohol on your last holiday abroad?' to which the overriding majority, 84%, said 'yes'. They were then asked how often they drank alcohol whilst on holiday, to which the majority, 63% said 'daily'.
We wanted to find out how many calories drinking every day would amount to; so respondents who drank alcohol on holiday daily were shown a calorie guide for alcoholic beverages. They were then were asked to estimate how many calories they drank in alcohol per day, taking into account all drinks.
The average young holidaymaker we polled claimed to consume 1,592 calories in alcoholic drinks alone each day whilst on holiday; amounting to an incredible 11,144 calories over the course of a week-long holiday.
All respondents were then asked if they thought they ate more or less food when on holiday than they would at home. 92% of those polled felt they ate 'less' on holiday than they would at home. When asked why this was the case, the majority, 51%, said the 'heat made them want to eat less'. 28% put it down to the 'expense of food' on holiday, whilst 17% said they were 'too busy' on holiday to eat as much as they would at home.
After being shown a food calorie guide, respondents were asked to estimate how many calories they ate per day on holiday; to which the average answer was 1,310 or 9,170 over the course of the week. Therefore, the average young British holidaymaker consumes more calories on holiday through drinking alcohol than they do through eating meals and snacks.
We can certainly understand why people don't want to eat as much on holiday, as eating in the heat can be incredibly uncomfortable (unless it's ice cream)! However, 1,592 calories is a huge amount to be consuming through alcohol alone, so we were really shocked to see that number in comparison to the calories taken in from meals and snacks.
There's nothing wrong with relaxing and enjoying a few drinks on holiday, but it's important to know your limits!
We polled a total of 1,736 young adults aged 18-25 from around the UK took part in the poll, all of whom had been on a week-long holiday abroad in the last year.
84% of respondents said that they drank alcohol on their last holiday abroad
Respondents were initially asked 'Did you drink alcohol on your last holiday abroad?' to which the overriding majority, 84%, said 'yes'. They were then asked how often they drank alcohol whilst on holiday, to which the majority, 63% said 'daily'.
The average young holidaymaker claimed to consume 1,592 calories in alcoholic drinks each day whilst on holiday
We wanted to find out how many calories drinking every day would amount to; so respondents who drank alcohol on holiday daily were shown a calorie guide for alcoholic beverages. They were then were asked to estimate how many calories they drank in alcohol per day, taking into account all drinks.
The average young holidaymaker we polled claimed to consume 1,592 calories in alcoholic drinks alone each day whilst on holiday; amounting to an incredible 11,144 calories over the course of a week-long holiday.
However, 92% of respondents felt that they ate less on holiday than they did at home
All respondents were then asked if they thought they ate more or less food when on holiday than they would at home. 92% of those polled felt they ate 'less' on holiday than they would at home. When asked why this was the case, the majority, 51%, said the 'heat made them want to eat less'. 28% put it down to the 'expense of food' on holiday, whilst 17% said they were 'too busy' on holiday to eat as much as they would at home.
Young holidaymakers consume 1,974 more calories in alcohol than food on holiday
After being shown a food calorie guide, respondents were asked to estimate how many calories they ate per day on holiday; to which the average answer was 1,310 or 9,170 over the course of the week. Therefore, the average young British holidaymaker consumes more calories on holiday through drinking alcohol than they do through eating meals and snacks.
We can certainly understand why people don't want to eat as much on holiday, as eating in the heat can be incredibly uncomfortable (unless it's ice cream)! However, 1,592 calories is a huge amount to be consuming through alcohol alone, so we were really shocked to see that number in comparison to the calories taken in from meals and snacks.
There's nothing wrong with relaxing and enjoying a few drinks on holiday, but it's important to know your limits!
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