New research from HelloFresh bites into the nation’s eating habits and reveals what’s driving Kiwis thoughts and decisions on food.
Barriers to healthy eating revealed
Research reveals that money (52 per cent), time (39 per cent) and knowledge (32 per cent) are the biggest barriers holding Kiwis back from eating a healthy diet. From busy working lives to raising a family, people are struggling to find time or inspiration for nutritious meals.
Another barrier to eating healthy was a lack of confidence when deciding what to cook, with a whopping 79 per cent of respondents admitting that they cook the same meals each week as a result of not being able to decide on a new recipe.
For Kiwis struggling with knowledge and time but still wanting tasty, nutritious meals, HelloFresh’s meal kits are a useful option, especially for the 51 per cent of Kiwis saying they’d eat healthier if meals were pre-planned for them.
HelloFresh recently launched Custom recipes, a first-of-its-kind in the meal kit delivery market in New Zealand.
Customers can now tailor selected recipes by adding, swapping or upgrading ingredients and sides.
If customers are looking to reduce their carb intake, they can swap potato fries for kumara, or swap white rice out for salad, brown or cauliflower rice.
These new options allow for more flexibility in the recipes on offer, meaning Kiwis can still enjoy tasty, convenient meals but customise to better suit their needs.
Kiwis eating habits broken down
Recent findings show that although 74 per cent of the nation claim they eat what they want, 35.5 per cent of recipients ‘eating what they want means following a low-fat or low-carb diet.
To those interested in adapting to a low-carb diet, HelloFresh Dietitian and Director of Culinary Innovation & Operations, Hannah Gilbert suggests to “use low-carb alternatives like cauliflower rice or daikon noodles in place of higher carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, white rice, bread and pasta, something being offered as part of our Carb Smart meal offerings.”
When it comes to consuming 5+ a day, a significant number of Kiwis (80 per cent) feel they aren’t consuming enough veggies.
For those wanting to increase their veggies, Hannah Gilbert, recommends topping up everyday meals with an extra dose of veggies.
“When whipping up a delicious spaghetti bolognese try adding extra vegetables such as grated carrot or baby spinach. Or try adding different coloured veggies like capsicum, green beans or baby corn to your next stir-fry. For those that struggle with experimenting with new types of foods and who like to follow a recipe, HelloFresh has also recently expanded our plant-based selection to two recipes per week, on top of the four vegetarian recipes that we already offer – perfect for those that want to increase their veggie intake,” she says.
Kiwis eating habits broken down by region:
- Kiwis based in Wellington and the Waikato are more time-sensitive compared to Auckland and Nelson, with busy schedules holding them back from eating nutritious meals.
- Wellington houses the majority of the country’s vegetarians, with 15 per cent of the city following a vegetarian diet, in comparison to 11 per cent of those in Auckland and 7 per cent in Waikato.
- A low-fat diet has been adopted by many Kiwis across the country, with Aucklanders ranking higher (32 per cent) than Wellingtonions (21 per cent) and those in the Bay of Plenty (15 per cent).
