Curries relieve recession stress

Online ordering portal, www.Just-Eat.co.uk, has seen a 250% takeaway order increase across its 2480 UK partnered restaurants since the recession when compared to the same time last year, with the site now servicing more than 40,000 meal orders every day. 61% of people questioned in an online survey on the site said they ordered takeaway more frequently than last year.

Just-Eat has attributed this rise to the fact that spicy foods release stress busting endorphins, pointing out that 92% of respondents said they feel ‘happier’ after a takeaway.

David Buttress, CEO of Just-Eat, said: “Without sugaring the pill, the recession has been hugely stressful for many people in the UK. Despite this, we have seen a huge rise in sales, over 250% in fact, compared to the same time last year.

“Despite it being common knowledge that exercise increases the release of endorphins helping improve mood, not many are aware that eating certain foods, including many curries can affect us in exactly the same way, which could explain why Brits have been ordering in their droves.”

The survey revealed that Madras and Thai curries, with their mix of endorphin releasing red chilli peppers and serotonin-rich mood-enhancing vegetables, are among the takeaway meals most associated with stress-relief. According to Just-Eat, the top five mood-improving curries are Chicken/Beef Madras, Vindaloo, Thai red curry, Pasanda and Jalfrezi.

84% of the participants in the study also mentioned that the fact they didn’t have to cook when ordering in was a factor in improving their mood.

“The public are cheered up by a good curry, not least for the fact it gives hard-working Brits an evening off from cooking,” said Buttress.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---