Six in ten Brits eat same food every day, study finds

'With a few simple swaps, we can add more colour and excitement into our diets whilst also ensuring we get enough of the different food groups we need to stay healthy'

Six in 10 Britons are eat the same foods every day, a survey has found.

The poll of 2,000 adults revealed not wanting to stray from what they like, a lack of time to be more adventurous and being a fussy eater means many of us eat identical meals and snacks on a loop.

One-in-three said they were "stuck in a rut" when it came to their diet.

More than half of those who eat foods on repeat said they were so caught up in the routine they just did it out of habit, while 46 per cent like to stick with what they know they like.

Twenty-two per cent claimed they did not have the time to vary their diet while one in five put their lack of variation down to being fussy with food.

As a result, seven in 10 of those polled by Arla Fibre wish they could get more variety in their diet.

“It’s clear that our busy lifestyles are causing meal times to become repetitive, but with a few simple swaps, we can add more colour and excitement into our diets whilst also ensuring we get enough of the different food groups we need to stay healthy," said Dr Ranj Singh, resident doctor on ITV’s This Morning.

“The simple rule that most people already know is always opt for brown over white when it comes to bread, rice and pasta, but there are so many more ways to get more fibre in your diet that people don’t consider. For instance, always keeping the skin on vegetables."

The study also found more than eight in 10 adults don’t know what their current diet provides them with in terms of vitamins and minerals, although 94 per cent agreed it was important to get fibre in your diet, just six per cent were aware adults need 30g of fibre every day.

National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) data, however, shows that fibre is lacking in most of our diets, with a "fibre gap" of, on average, 12g per person per day.

Seventy five per cent of those polled said they wished it was easier to get more nourishment from what they eat, with 22 per cent in agreement there was an absence of fibre in their diet.

This left 45 per cent of those caught up in an eating routine struggling to get the right nutrition because of their monotonous mealtimes.

In addition, one in four don’t think they get enough iron, while 35 per cent admitted they lack vitamins and18 per cent don’t think they get enough magnesium.

Bread, vegetables and cheese were among the foods adults consume on a weekly basis, with potato, pasta and crisps also featuring as products regularly enjoyed.

This struggle to get the right nutrition from food means people are looking for other means of getting well-rounded nourishment from what they eat.

Over half the nation will take supplements to up their dose of vitamins and minerals and 13 per cent have stomached something they don’t like in order to get the nutrients they need.

“On average, the UK population only eats about 18g of fibre a day, so when the government released their 2015 guidelines advising that adults should eat 30g of a fibre, we realised just how much we are lacking from our diets," said James Quayle of Arla Foods. “It’s no surprise that we’re struggling to get enough fibre, when traditional fibre-rich foods can be so bland and uninspiring."

SWNS