A new independent survey*, commissioned by meal-kit company WOOP, reveals that Kiwis are struggling to make healthy choices and find a balance in modern life.
One in three (31%) New Zealanders don’t feel they have a balance between work and pleasure, and 40% say they’re too busy and need to get time back into their evenings.
Despite the vast majority of New Zealanders knowing it’s possible to eat healthily and for it to taste delicious (87%), many are too tired or busy at the end of the day to follow through with making healthy choices. It’s perhaps not surprising then, that one in three Kiwis eat takeaways or fast food every week, especially when over a quarter of households say they spend close to an hour, or longer cooking their evening meal.
Dinner seems to be a particular pain point, with half of Kiwis saying they find it the hardest meal of the day to make healthy decisions, with many feeling they’re too tired or too busy, a third of respondents saying they simply didn’t know what to cook for a healthy, nutritious meal and 64% finding it hard to come up with what to cook. One in ten New Zealanders are only eating a well-balanced, nutritious dinner (consisting of half a plate of vegetables, high quality protein, healthy fats, and carbs from vegetables, whole grains or dairy) once a week, with a staggering 58% failing to eat a well-balanced dinner more than 2-3 times a week.
Not enough vegetables in our daily diet
More than half of all New Zealanders often eat meals without fresh vegetables, with 64% admitting they’re not getting enough vegetables in their daily diet.
WOOP Founder, Thomas Dietz says: “We make around 35,000 decisions every day, from what to wear to when to go to sleep. Our survey has shown that most people are so fatigued from making these decisions, that 79% frequently make unhealthy choices about what to have for dinner as a result. Over a lifetime, this could have a hugely negative impact on health.”
“That’s why we have created a new meal-kit called WOOP Balance, which is designed for people who want an easy way to enjoy healthy, delicious and balanced dinners, which can be cooked in half the time. Our team does the prep work for you, handmaking sauces from scratch, peeling and chopping veggies and so on, and all ingredients and recipes are delivered to your door. This means you can have healthy, balanced, freshly cooked dinners on the table in less than 20 minutes – without the elements of a restrictive diet.”
Alarmingly, close to half of all New Zealanders (47%) feel there is confusing information in the media about what is a healthy way to eat. This may be why 40% of Kiwis have tried restrictive diets that eliminate entire food groups, and one in four Kiwis have tried fad diets, despite the fact that 68% were not able to lose any weight on them in the long term.
Food and nutrition writer Niki Bezzant has been working alongside WOOP to develop WOOP Balance, which is based on the traditional Mediterranean style of eating, which puts vegetables first and incorporates high quality protein, and healthy fats and carbs.
“Eating well can be really simple. Yet it feels complicated because there are so many voices out there offering advice, and making it seem like we need to follow a special diet or eat special food. But if we look at how the healthiest people in the world eat, it’s not faddish – and they don’t diet. They enjoy their food!” she says.
“These survey results show that Kiwis find getting a healthy balance a challenge, both in their food choices and life in general. We hope WOOP Balance goes some way to helping start new enjoyable, healthier habits that can last a lifetime.”
Considering almost everyone surveyed (96%) would like to have healthy, delicious and nutritious dinners that resulted in them not having to go on a restrictive diet, it seems WOOP Balance couldn’t have come at a better time, allowing Kiwis to save time cooking and spend more time doing the things they love.
WOOP Balance is available to order from www.woop.co.nz, $117 for a two person box for 3 nights, currently delivering in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua and Palmerston North.
New packaging planned
WOOP General Manager William Lockie told FMCG Business: “We are excited to be introducing in the next few months a range of biodegradable pots (domestically compostable) packaging that will replace the current recyclable plastic pots along with a range of biodegradable films to replace the current recyclable soft plastics. Environmentally friendly packaging is a fast moving space with new technology continually becoming available and we aim to be at the forefront of implementing new options. We really care about the environment and play our part with over 97% of our existing packaging being recyclable, we are also proud to use carbon neutral deliveries and collect and re-use all of our delivery boxes to increase their lifespan.”
*Survey conducted independently by Pure Profile.
