Over 50% Of Canadians Believe Healthy Eating Improves Well Being

Most consumers all over the world are becoming more conscious about their health and overall well-being. In a market study conducted by research company Mintel, 63% of Canadian consumers believe that what they eat has significant influence over their emotional and physical health. As a result, 45% of consumers are interested in trying out different foods that are marketed for their health benefits. The sales of superfood items like quinoa, spirulina, kale and chia seeds have grown by 35% since last year.

According to Mintel’s Senior Lifestyles and Leisure Analyst, Carol Wong-Li, many Canadians are becoming proactive in looking for ways to maintain good physical and mental well-being. This also gives opportunities to marketers who develop products that convey wellness and overall well-being.

The Statistics Of Healthy Eating

The eating habits of Canadians have changed over the years. In today’s food culture, 49% of Canadian consumers feel guilty after eating unhealthy foods. The Mintel research also noted that the motivation of Canadians to eat healthy stems from guilt especially among women under the age of 55 and mothers, which account for 59% and 60%, respectively.

The research revealed that many Canadian consumers are more mindful of their eating habits and that 76% of the respondents claim to follow healthy eating strictly or most of the time. However, some of the respondents believe that they should also indulge once in a while such that 41% believe that allowing a cheat day once in a blue moon is a good way to motivate healthy eating habits.

Obstacles To Maintaining Healthy Eating Habits

Although there is an increasing trend of healthy eating among Canadians, most of the respondents claim that it’s hard to maintain healthy eating habits because of their busy lifestyles. Some of the interviewees are misinformed when it comes to making healthy choices as such 40% find it difficult to discern which foods are healthy and which ones to avoid.

These are the reasons why health claims on the packages are paramount as 27% of the respondents look at the label and are likely to buy a particular product if it comes with health claims. This has pushed many food manufacturers to include health claims on their packages as well as use all-natural ingredients in making their products.

Possible Solution

While eating healthy is a popular trend among Canadian consumers, there are still obstacles and challenges that prevent them from eating healthy.  Carol Wong-Li added that as much as the respondents would like to eat healthily, they fall back to their old eating habits because it takes too much to time to prepare healthy foods. This problem is now being addressed by many food manufacturers in Canada as they think of ways to create processed foods that are healthy to meet the demands and needs of busy and health-conscious Canadian consumers.

Inspired by www.mintel.com