SNACKTIME: Do you munch while you drive?

A study commissioned by Gunther Mazda found the average Pennsylvania driver consumed over 242,000 calories while commuting in 2022.

We did a little math for comparison’s sake. That’s the equivalent of about 1,125 Snickers bars. Or 220 Big Mac meals at McDonald’s. Or 45 full Christmas dinners, along with all the rest of the goodies one consumes on Christmas day.

In fact, a study found that 85 million Americans admit to eating fast food every day.

Now that the world has been getting back to normal, more and more employees are returning to the office — and that means the return of the era of the long commute. But it’s all too easy to try and break up a long, boring journey with a distraction — such as food. A person’s likelihood of becoming obese increases by 6% for every hour spent commuting, as well as an increased risk of high blood pressure. Long commute times are linked to factors like insufficient physical activity, and poor sleep habits.

Broken down by state, Gunther Mazda found that Nevadans consumed the most calories on their commute this year — a substantial 287k. On the other hand, those in Maine, with perhaps shorter distances to travel, consumed the least — just 65k in 2022. On a national scale, the average driver consumed 199,997 calories this past year.

The study also found the following: While commuting, drivers say they normally consume chips (32%) — presumably they’re easy to access with one hand, while keeping the other on the steering wheel. This was followed by burgers (30%), fries (24%), burritos (6%), chocolate (4%), tacos (2%) and ice cream (2%). https://www.gunthermazda.com/meals-on-wheels/