British men are clueless about the calories in their favourite foods, according to a new study.
One in six blokes believe they are allowed to eat between 3000 and 5,000 calories a day – considerably more than the recommended 2,500.
And many men think that consuming 53 grams of saturated fat daily is within the recommended amount, when this is also twice as much as they should be having .
So great is the lack of awareness that the average man will unknowingly consume DOUBLE their daily intake of calories on an evening out with their mates.
The poll of 2,000 men, commissioned by Fitness First, reveals blokes are baffled by the nutritional content of foods such as burgers, kebabs, crisps, curry and pizza.
The research revealed that alarmingly, on an average night on the town, men consume at least three pints, a bag of sharing crisps and a portion of chips – which equates to an additional 2,544 calories.
Indeed more than half of blokes admit they have no self-control when it comes to what they eat and drink on a lad’s night out.
Kate Toland, Head of Marketing at Fitness First said: “We were really surprised by the findings of this report – the level of confusion about calorie content is more prevalent than we’d anticipated.
“It’s good that men are taking a relaxed approach to food – we would never encourage obsessive calorie counting. However, it’s the difference between being fanatical and understanding that a curry and a few pints will take you way over the recommended daily allowance.”
The study found the average male believes there are only 350 calories in a standard 225g bag of sharing crisps, when in fact there are almost 1200.
Blokes also assumed there were only 444 calories in a portion of chips, when the reality is at least 795.
And many men would think nothing of consuming a chicken korma curry with rice and naan, but would underestimate the number of calories by 400.
Even a pizza can leave blokes puzzled – with many assuming a cheese and tomato is 706 calories rather than the actual 1296, and a pepperoni is thought to be 787 calories rather than a stonking 1712.
Other foods which caused bewilderment include hotdogs, salted peanuts, tortillas and kebabs.
In fact, the only snack food where men OVER-estimated the calorie content was a standard cheeseburger, with men guessing the calorie content to be around 540, when it’s closer to 300.
Kate Toland from Fitness First continues:
“Our researchers discovered that while the average male likes to look lean and stay fit, being low on time or energy can affect their approach to food.
“Most men cite their busy lifestyles as the reason why they don’t pay much attention to what they eat, and this is likely to affect the amount of times they exercise as well.
“Exercising regularly to counteract calorie intake is a great way to achieve all round health. Even 30 minutes of exercise three times a week will put men on track for a win in the fitness stakes.”
FOOD TYPE ESTIMATED CALORIE CONTENT ACTUAL CALORIE CONTENT
Cheeseburger 539 316
Doner Kebab, 600g 741 1000
Chips, 333g 445 795
Sharing crisps, 225g 350 1179
Sharing tortillas, 225g 362 1117
Pint of beer / lager 343 180
Pint of cider 342 210
Korma curry, naan, rice 637 1069
Margherita pizza, 8 slc 707 1296
Pepperoni pizza, 8 slc 787 1712
Hotdog, 455g 494 1078
Salted peanuts, 100g 410 619
by Emma Elsworthy
