Study Says: Being Stuck In Traffic Makes You Eat More Unhealthy Food!

While some lucky folks who work from home don’t have to deal with it, 76% of the American workforce commutes to and from work every day. That’s a lot of time spent in our cars, an average of 26.8-minutes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And according to a new study, adding even a few minutes to your average commute time can seriously affect food cravings.

Researchers with the University of Illinois' College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences wanted to understand the effects time lost has on our food choices. So, they turned to a place where people are always stuck in traffic in their cars - Los Angeles.

• Over the course of more than two years, researchers used data tracking highway traffic patterns in L.A., and tracked cell phone data that followed users entering fast-food restaurants.
• The team used that information to find a link between unexpected traffic and visits to fast food restaurants.
• And it turns out, when commutes are longer than usual because of traffic, commuters are more likely to get fast food and less likely to go to the grocery store to buy food to make at home.
• It happens more during afternoon rush hour than the morning commute, but the delay doesn’t need to be long to make a difference.
• The study shows that just a 30-second per-mile delay is enough to raise the odds of someone stopping for fast food on the way home.

"In our analysis focusing on Los Angeles County, unexpected traffic delays beyond the usual congestion led to a 1% increase in fast food visits," explains lead study author Becca Taylor. "That might not sound like a lot, but it's equivalent to 1.2 million more fast food visits per year in L.A. County alone."

Source: Food and Wine

Scott's Thoughts:

• So it’s not just me skipping the supermarket and pulling into the drive-thru when traffic is bad?
• Those apps have made it so simple to order food I shouldn't be eating. I never order at the speaker anymore! I order and pay on my phone!
• Seems like fast food places were trying to have some healthy options in the past. Not really getting that now.