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Society
Photo: DPA

Germans know better but still eat lots of fast food

Published: 23 Feb 13 10:08 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130223-48149.html

Most Germans know what good nutrition is, but still eat a lot of convenience foods and fail to sit and enjoy their meal without distractions, a study released on Friday showed.

Job stress and bad habits have resulted in poor food choices for millions of Germans, according to a Forsa study conducted on behalf of the Techniker Krankenkasse, a large statutory health insurer.

The biggest culprits are men, young people and low-wage earners. They tend to reach for a sandwich on the run or a fatty sausage at dinner more than others, the study showed.

Those who earn no more than €1,500 per month eat meat on a daily basis, the study said. German nutrition experts encourage more fruit and vegetables and believe meat consumption should be limited.

"What’s important is that people start to take more time to eat," said TK chief Jens Baas. Cholesterol tests produce comparatively little results when compared to lifestyle changes.

Every third working person complained that eating healthy is impossible at the workplace. Every second person said there isn’t enough time during the break to eat in a relaxed manner.

One out of every two Germans say they don’t have the time or piece of mind to eat correctly, but willpower is often lacking, the study showed.

Dr. Ute Gola, a nutrition expert, says in many companies, workers are not drinking enough because they fear not having enough time to go to the bathroom.

Meals are accompanied by television in 15 percent of the households with two children. Overall one-third of those surveyed have the TV running during a meal.

Four out of 10 people surveyed eat frozen pizza or canned soup as their “meal” at least once or twice a week. One out of every three people under 25 surveyed eats fast food at least three times a week.

On the positive side, 80 percent said they eat vegetables at least three times a week and 74 percent of women and 52 percent of men said that ate mainly healthy foods.

DPA/The Local/mw

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

13:10 February 23, 2013 by grazhdanin
piece of mind?
13:41 February 23, 2013 by Englishted
At most workplaces I have worked there is no getting a hot meal ,often no vending machines at all ,no kitchen or kettle so eating sandwiches is the norm .

So getting a hot meal from the local imbiss is a treat for many workers .

I don't know if the Germans diet is getting worse but I know the press and politicians a force feeding us bulls### day in day out .
16:51 February 23, 2013 by Eric1
Fast Food is like socialism. Some parts (very little) are good but the majority of it is not.
13:33 March 1, 2013 by ichbines
Germans do in fact eat better than Americans (The China Study). Three fourths of the world consume very little if any dairy/meat and these nations also do not suffer from cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and a whole other variety of diseases that the meat/dairy consumers do. We are dying in masses with ugly debilitating diseases and they live long and die peacefully in their sleep.
20:24 March 2, 2013 by Quatsch
Every night my Father sliced smoked speck with a slice of bread and a few ounces of pure alchohol to wash it down. Everything he ate was bad, including the pounds of butter and eggs he ate per week. He gave up smoking at 83. His cholesterol was very high the first time they measured it when he was 80. He never took medication for anything except an alergy. He always found heavy work to do around his home, dawn to dusk, until the day he died. He was 94 when he died.
22:48 March 20, 2013 by Theikos_Anemos
@ Quatsch i wish i die like your father !!! enjoing every pleasure of our life!!!
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