By Lorie Ham
Another new year is upon us, and for many, that means a fresh start with New Year’s resolutions to exercise more, eat better, and be healthier! According to Statista, the most popular New Year’s resolution in America in 2022 was to start living healthier, and one can imagine that the same would be the case for 2023.
Maybe you have made similar resolutions for 2023, but is there one thing you would never give up no matter what? Mennonite Insurance employee Stephanie Heier says that McDonald’s fries are that one thing for her family. “We try to eat healthy and exercise, but once a week our car ends up at the drive-thru at McDonald’s.”
According to another survey on Statista, coffee is the most popular drink in the US. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they regularly drink coffee. Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide. Millions of consumers across the country cannot imagine starting their day without a hot cup of coffee. For employee Michelle Heinrichs, it would be coffee and wine that she couldn’t give up. “I could stand to reduce the amounts of each (for sure coffee), but I honestly don’t think I would likely ever give either up unless the doctor told me I must for health reasons. So far, he hasn’t. Phew!!”
One good thing about coffee, if you are hooked on the taste rather than the caffeine, is that they do now make good decaffeinated coffee. Many high-end coffee brands like Peets Coffee and Starbucks now put out decaffeinated versions that taste just as good as the rest of their coffees. Also, coffee is actually good for you unless you need to cut back on caffeine for health reasons. According to a 2021 article on the Harvard T.H. Chan website, Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, stated that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and depression.
Almost as many people who said they drank coffee – 53 percent – said they regularly grabbed a soft drink, which is the one thing that staff member Dalia Jimenez says she wouldn’t give up, or more specifically Coke and Pepsi. “I need to have it with my food, especially if it’s Mexican food. I have cut back to the mini cans no more than two per day.”
Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the US and is the one thing employee Claudia Fletes could never give up, unless her doctor specifically told her she had to. “I love everything about it!” According to an article in the Washington Post, in the United States, 350 slices are eaten every second, while 40 percent of Americans eat pizza at least once a week.
According to an article on In the Kitchen With Matt some of the most popular foods in America other than those already mentioned, include donuts, ice cream, chicken, Oreos, and French Fries. Is there a food or drink that you just can’t see yourself ever giving up, for a New Year’s resolution or otherwise? Please share it with us on our Facebook page.