As COVID-19 prevention methods continue to disrupt daily life, related stressors and anxiety persist and, in some cases, manifest in damaging eating habits.
To avoid the “three Cs” — closed spaces, crowded and close-contact settings — people are spending more time at home, even after the lifting of Japan’s state of emergency. Teleworking contributes to a sharp decline in incidental exercise, like walking to the station or around the office. Months of eating in, meanwhile, can lead to overindulging, excessive snacking or even food apathy.
The problem isn’t limited to Japan. In the United Kingdom, 1 in 3 people surveyed by researchers at King’s College London reported that lockdown had led them to overeat, or consume less healthy food than normal. In the United States, the term “quarantine 15” refers to the 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) one can expect to gain during lockdown.