Could you stick with a vegetarian diet?
As a nation we do like to watch what we eat and try to maintain a healthy balanced diet throughout the year. We all have the right attitude to start a diet and for some, even decide to avoid meat and become a fully-fledged vegetarian.
A new study, conducted by www.fickletattoos.com polled 1,984 UK men and women aged over 18 as part of on-going research into the fickle nature of people. The study specifically focussed on eating habits, and people’s experiences of changing their eating habits.
Brits revealed that the most popular reason for becoming a vegetarian was for their love of animals, with 53% of respondents admitting this. A further 43% took the decision to give up meat in hope to help them lose weight. However, 32% of the people surveyed took on the decision as they thought vegetarianism was ‘fashionable.’
However, becoming a veggie proved difficult for some Brits as 38% admitted that they ‘didn’t even last a month’ before going back to eating meat. 25% said they lasted ‘a few months’ and a further 18% had stuck to it for ‘a prolonged period (more than a year)’.
Brits have revealed that they like to test new diets with ‘Atkins Diet’ proving most popular as 34% of people have undertaken this diet to help them lose weight. The second popular diet was the ‘Dukan Diet’ with 24% of respondents having also tried it out. The reasons behind starting a diet was weight loss with 72% admitting to this, followed by 54% of people starting a diet as they were concerned for their general health and wellbeing. In third with 33% revealed that the influence of friends was another reason for dieting.
The average length of time that people tended to stick to a new dietary plan was also looked at with 26% of people holding out for a month but only 9% carried out indefinitely. However, the top reason for not continuing with a diet regime was the lack of willpower with 63% admitting to this. A further 51% said that it ‘didn’t fit in with daily routine’ and 46% lost interest in the diet.
David Wain-Heapy, co-founder of fickletattoos.com, had the following comment to make: “The majority of us have probably tried to undertake a new diet or the latest food fad at some stage or other. It’s often the case that if a number of our friends or perhaps work colleagues are talking about it then we’re keen to get involved. However, it seems this initial enthusiasm soon fades.”
He continued: “The results around vegetarianism are surprising though. You would like to think that the majority of vegetarians undertake it as a point of principle, rather than in a bid to look fashionable. It just goes to show though that people change their minds and habits on a regular basis and often at a whim!
The average length of time that people tended to stick to a new dietary plan
ï· Usually no more than a week – 12%
ï· Two weeks – 14%
ï· Three weeks 22%
ï· A month - 26%
ï· A few months - 17%
ï· Indefinitely - 9%
Top five main reasons for failing to stick to new diet regimes:
Lack of willpower – 63%
Doesn’t fit in with daily routine – 51%
Loss of interest – 46%
Not seeing enough noticeable effect – 38%
Friends stopping doing it – 35%
Tagged in Nutrition Diet Healthy eating Vegetarian