Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey said the average British woman sources 12 percent of her energy from generous helpings of buns, cakes, crisps and chocolates. The survey covered 1,000 male and female Britons.
Reduced to weekly or daily terms, the extra 73,000 calories is the equivalent of 200 calories daily or 1,300 calories weekly whenever Britons raid the cupboard or fridge.
Fiona Hunter, a nutritionist, said, "Surveys show that we are a nation of snackers. Unfortunately snacks that people usually choose tend to be high in fat and sugar and so have unnecessary calories, which can lead to weight problems."
What is ironic is that many multitaskers, like housewives, combine snacking with housework, in the mistaken belief doing home chores will burn off whatever extra calories they ingest. One in 10 British women eat while performing housework. But to burn off one croissant, 75 minutes of housework must be done.
Even among children and young adults, bad snacking habits have been observed. The intake of today's young Briton of salty snacks and pizza was three times higher compared to 20 years ago. Across all age groups, snack and soft drink consumption went up by over 50 percent, while the amount of exercise plunged.
As a consequence, the number of obese Britons doubled between 1980 and 1991 and continues to grow faster. Twenty percent of adult Britons are obese, while 15 percent of British children have the same excess weight problem.
