A lot of people fall victim to diet traps while on vacation. Sure, you’re taking a break from work, but that doesn’t mean you can take a break from your diet, too. Doing that will mean you’re falling victim to a different kind of tourist trap! The biggest tourist trap of them all is in the Mediterranean, and it’s probably not the country you’re thinking.
Based on a study done by Fly Thomas Cook, which looked at 350 people from the U.K vacationing for an average of a week and a half, close to half of them came back with a few extra pounds as souvenirs. According to the study, men gained about five pounds while they were overseas and women came back with a little more than one pound.
So which country was most at fault for increasing our waist lines? Is it the Italian pasta or the Belgian’s chocolate? According to the study, no! While Italy and Belgium were in the top ten, ranked nine and ten respectively, the country most guilty of getting us to indulge in our food cravings is none other than the island nation of Cyprus.
So why are vacationers taking it easy on their diets? The study says it’s because people are “eating out more and cooking less (67%), trying new food (57%) and exercising less.” The study also blames larger portions and alcohol consumption.
Other nations on the top ten list are (in order): Turkey, Portugal, the U.S., Greece, the Netherlands, France and Australia.
But it’s not all bad news for the health conscious. The study also shows there are some vacation spots were you can go to lose weight. Just plan your next overseas trip to either Ireland, Canada, or Germany. The researchers sited things like “exercised more,” “hot weather,” and “healthy local food options” as the reasons for why these jet-setters lost weight.
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