Average British Child Consumes 2,300 Calories on Christmas Day Alone

Dec. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- The UK’s leading discount and voucher code website, http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk asked 1,218 parents of children aged 10 and under what food their child eats on Christmas Day. According to the results, the average child in Britain will consume around 2,300 calories; much more than the recommended daily average of 1,700 calories.

Following previous research that revealed adults consume around 4,000 calories on Christmas Day, double the recommended amount; http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk wanted to gauge the eating habits of children across the UK, to see how the results paired up.

The average Christmas dinner for children, according to the research, accumulates to an average of 900 calories; consisting of:
•         1.5 slices of meat (Turkey/ Ham/ Game) – average of 50 calories
•         2.3 roast potatoes – average of 150 calories
•         0.4 tablespoons of stuffing – average of 170 calories
•         2.0 peas and carrots – average of 15 calories
•         1 small yorkshire puddings – average of 50 calories
•         23ml gravy - average of 30 calories
•         1 chipolata sausages – average of 100 calories
•         1 parsnip – average of 50 calories
•         1.5 tablespoons chocolate cake – average of 250 calories
•         2 tablespoons whipped cream - average of 50 calories

Furthermore, the majority of the respondents, 53%, admitted that their children have second helpings of some aspects of the Christmas dinner, such as roast potatoes, meat and chipolata sausages; adding an average of 300 calories.

According to the results, children also consume an average of 6 variety box chocolates on Christmas Day, 1.5 handfuls of crisps, 2 biscuits and 2.3 glasses of fizzy pop; equating to a further 660 calories.

When asked by http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk about their traditional Christmas evening meal, more than two thirds of parents, 67%, said they had a ‘buffet’ style dinner. The majority admitted that their children eat an average of 1 slice of crusty bread, 0.8 slices of leftover meat, 1.2 snack sausages, 0.9 handfuls of crisps and 0.5 tablespoons of chocolate cake. In total the average Christmas evening meal for a child accumulates to 300 calories.

Further to the food consumed during the day, the majority of those who took part in the study admitted that their children eat a cooked breakfast on Christmas morning. With the average breakfast consisting of 0.6 slices of bread, 1.1 rashers of bacon, and 1 glass of fruit juice; the average child starts the day with a 180 calorie breakfast.
Mark Pearson, chairman of http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, commented on the findings:

“After a study we conducted that revealed adults eat an average of 4,000 calories on Christmas Day, we wanted to look into how many calories children munch their way through. We found that the average British child consumes well over the daily recommended allowance of calories on Christmas Day alone; hardly surprising given the amount of additional snacks consumed outside of main meals on the day.

He continued:

“Although it’s perfectly acceptable to treat your children over Christmas, be careful when it comes to over-indulgence. Too much fizzy pop and sweet treats can lead to your children bouncing off the walls and refusing to stick to their bed time!”

ENDS

LINK: http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk  
For more information please contact Charlotte Horsfall of 10 Yetis Public Relations on 01452 348211 or charlotte@10yetis.co.uk

Editor’s Notes
Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 29, his personal worth is more than £30 million.

Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.
MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year
Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.

MyVoucherCodes is the UK’s most popular discount site.