New research reveals cost-of-living crisis is making it more difficult to make healthy food choices

The study of 2,000 adults reveals half of UK adults report they’re finding it harder to make healthy food choices (51%) and one in three say they prioritise the cost of food over how healthy it is (31%).

Over a fifth of adults (23%) say they weigh more now compared to one year ago and 58% of these believe the financial crisis contributed to their weight gain.

Since the end of 2021, 80% of the 2,000 adults polled reported having concerns about rising food prices.

In the survey, conducted by OnePoll, over a third (37%) say their physical health has been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and 46% say it has affected their mental health.

Dr Jacquie Lavin, Special Advisor on the Science of Weight Management at Slimming World, said: “It’s well documented that the cost-of-living crisis is having a big impact on people’s buying habits.

“Without the right support, there is a very real possibility that the financial crisis could make it even more difficult for people to manage their weight and health.”

For those trying to eat healthily and manage their weight the cost-of-living crisis presents new challenges.

READ MORE: ITV The Hunt for Raoul Moat: who is Raoul Moat and how to watch

Some 38% of UK adults don’t feel they’ve picked up any advice, for example from friends and family, social media, supermarkets or colleagues, on how to reduce the cost of their food shop, and nearly half (47%) feel the Government isn’t doing enough to help people have a healthy diet during the financial crisis.

The survey also polled members of Slimming World’s 13,000 community weight loss group sessions and online programme 2 . More than half (56%) of members said they’ve found it easy to eat healthily on a budget since joining Slimming World and 83% say that sharing tips, support and advice at their weekly group helps with this.

Dr Lavin who is a Registered Nutritionist added: “The cost-of-living crisis is particularly challenging for anyone who is trying to lose weight, because financial pressures mean making healthy choices around food and drink can be more difficult.

“We can see from the member survey that receiving support and advice to make healthy eating choices is more important than ever when helping people to lose weight on a budget.

“In fact, since joining Slimming World, 90% of members now feel more in control when it comes to their food choices and 83% agree it is possible to lose weight on a budget.”

Nearly half (47%) of Slimming World members say planning their meals helped them to save money while they’ve been a member, cooking from scratch was key to saving for almost half (47%), and for 39% switching to appliances which used less energy, like an air fryer or a microwave made a difference. For 28% freezing leftovers rather than wasting food helped to cut food bills.

Read South Tyneside’s news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day’s news and sport and enjoy even more from your Gazette. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up.