Americans Spend as Much on Junk Food After the Holidays as Before Them

The holidays are the time of year when you expect to indulge. But, come the New Year, it’s time to get back on track or even start something new, right?

Apparently not. A new study released in PLOS ONE, reveals junk food spending doesn’t drop after the holidays are over. In fact, the study found that while the purchasing of health foods increases, household junk food purchases do not decrease after the holidays.

Researchers, led by Lizzy Pope of the University of Vermont, used grocery data from 207 households to determine their results. As expected, the households in the study spent 15% more on groceries during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, compared to the rest of the year. After the New Year, healthy food purchases increased by almost 30%…but the spending on less healthy foods remained the same.

To be fair, it’s hard to go directly from spending time with family, eating what you want, and relaxing, to jumping into a strict diet and exercise plan. We might all intend to stick with our resolutions, but our shopping habits seem to give us away.

Instead of stressing yourself out and going crazy, try focusing on small goals and small changes. Here are some articles designed to help you along:

Make These 15 Small Changes to See Big Results
Follow These 9 Tips to See Success on Your Fitness Journey
The 8-Week Transition Diet
Confessions of a Junk Food Junkie: 6 Tricks to Kick the Habit
9 Foods That Aren’t As Healthy As You Think