You likely wouldn’t be shocked to hear that it’s your eating habits causing your weight gain. But do you know which specific habits are to blame? If you’re one of the millions of Americans who rely on delivery services on a regular basis, you might want to start looking there.
How is Food Delivery Causing Your Weight Gain?
Food delivery apps and businesses offering their dishes by way of them have been rapidly growing in number. The last half decade has seen exceptionally strong growth, but it was the pandemic that truly gave these services an unprecedented boost. The more we’ve sought to – or have been required to – eat in, the more delivery services have allowed us to continue to enjoy the convenient and delicious foods we love.
In fact, it has reached the point that you can turn to those services to meet every little craving, and that could easily be causing your weight gain.
Nothing is Out of Reach Anymore
Only a few years ago, if you had a craving for cookies, you’d need to head out to the store to buy them. For many people, this was an important barrier stopping them from eating cookies whenever they felt like it. The key to controlling calorie intake was simply to keep the foods out of your cupboard so they would be too inconvenient to get when cravings hit – at least most of the time.
However, with food delivery apps, it’s possible to have a plate of cookies delivered if you want them – and oh how we do! This readily available food can be causing your weight gain one order at a time. Whatever you feel like having is only a few clicks away. The inconvenience barrier isn’t there anymore.
Research published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal by a team from the College of Nursing at Ohio State University and the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University has showed that the surge in popularity of food delivery apps has had negative health impacts on the Americans who use them. The researchers speculated that many people didn’t realize how unhealthful this habit had made their meals. If this is the case for you, it could be causing your weight gain too.
Controlling the Ordering Causing Your Weight Gain
To help stop this habit from causing your weight gain, it’s a good idea to come up with a plan that will reduce your reliance on food delivery services.
- Create a weekly meal plan on the weekend so no decisions are made last minute when you’re already hungry
- Have each member of the household take turns cooking
- Prepare double batches of meals that freeze well so you will be making two meals at once. The next time you don’t feel like cooking, thaw out that second batch.
- Plan your delivery days. That way, you won’t exceed one meal per week because it’s not on your planned day.
- Prioritize nutritional and financial goals that can be achieved by reducing deliveries causing your weight gain.
