New data has revealed which foods are the most popular ‘treats’ for UK health enthusiasts and how long each takes to burn off through exercise.
The findings, pulled together by sports nutrition experts Bulk.com, analysed the top 100 most popular posts under the hashtags #cheatdayeats, #cheatdaymeals, and #cheatday to find which meals were most popular for those looking to treat themselves.
And, although the UK is most synonymous with fish and chips, it is Italian delicacies, including pizza, pasta and garlic bread, which proved to be most popular, with pizza taking the top spot at 38% of cheat meals posted.
The study broke down findings further to find pepperoni was the most popular topping, making up 39% of total pizzas. Margarita pizzas closely follow this at 34%, and veggie pizzas were the third most popular, accounting for 20%.
The second most popular meal was the classic cheeseburger, which proved to be a more suitable choice for those watching their waistlines. At 438 calories (on average) per burger, they hold 62% fewer calories than pizza, which has a whopping 1176 calories.
The ten most popular cheat meals
- Pizza
- Cheeseburger
- Ice cream
- Pasta
- Tacos
- Garlic bread
- Pulled pork burger
- Nachos
- Curry
- Loaded fries
Surprisingly, sweet treats, including cake, brownies, cookies and doughnuts, proved to be the least popular for those looking to reward themselves, making up only 4% of total cheat meals recorded.
As well as showing which cheat meals were most popular, the data also revealed how many minutes of exercise would be needed to burn off each spread – perfect for those looking to make up for their naughty nibbles.
The data found that swimming was the most effective exercise to burn off calories quickly, with the average person weighing 180 lbs able to burn off 13.61 calories per minute while swimming breaststroke.
This is in comparison to running, which can burn 10.9 calories for someone of the same weight, while cycling lightly will only burn 8.16 calories.
The five most calorific cheat meals
The five least calorific cheat meals
