Three in ten Canadians say they gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by Research Co.
In the online survey, as many as 31% of Canadians say they have gained weight during the pandemic, while 14% say they have lost weight while 52 % say there wasn’t much change in their weight.
According to the poll, women (33%) and those aged 18-to-34 (36%) are more likely to acknowledge weight gain during the pandemic.
Three-in-ten Canadians also say they are baking desserts—such as cakes or cookies—at home more often than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, while one-in-five say they bake bread at home more often now than a few months ago.
Residents of Ontario are more likely to be baking bread at home more often than residents of other regions (27%), while Albertans are more likely to be baking homemade desserts (35%).
While most Canadians do not report a significant change to their consumption of six different foods since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some nuances, the survey finds.
Almost one-in-five Canadians (15%) are eating less fish and shellfish, and 15% report eating less meat.
Conversely, 24% of Canadians say they are eating both fruits and vegetables more often than before the pandemic began.
While two thirds of Canadians (66%) are “very familiar” or “moderately familiar” with Canada’s Food Guide, only 41% say they follow the document’s recommendations “all the time” or “most of the time” when choosing what to eat in an average week.
