“New Year’s res-illusions”: What researchers found when they looked at our grocery receipts

“New Year’s res-illusions”: What researchers found when they looked at our grocery receipts

By Jill Brook, MA

Some surprising nutrition findings explain why many people don’t lose weight after the holidays, despite eating healthier. How can that happen? Well, researchers examined grocery bills for 207 American households and found the following:

On average, households bought more unhealthy food during the holiday season—between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day—compared to the previous months. No surprise. After January 1, they bought more healthy foods. Again, no surprise.

However, after January 1, while buying more healthy food, they still purchased holiday levels of UNhealthy foods, such as sweets and processed snacks. They just bought MORE food and MORE calories overall. ….presumably, without realizing it.

If you want to see the details, the complete article can be read at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0110561

Since I live in Truckee, California, where the Donner Party famously starved to the point of cannibalism, I’m frequently reminded that over-buying food is a survival instinct baked deep into our biology through eons of evolution. So maybe it’s a modern luxury to be appreciated. But…if your New Year’s weight loss has been stymied, you might want to pay closer attention to your grocery purchases.

Happy new year!

Jill