Here’s food for thought

Help to make healthy eating habits stick this year is at hand, writes

Aussies are more likely to be found smashing a pie than snacking on pineapple, drinking wine but shunning grapes and skipping our veg according to taste.com.au’s biggest ever health study. The survey of more than 11,000 Australians has found we’re not as healthy as we think we are with less than one in 10 people eating the recommended serves of both fruit and vegetables each day, and 80 per cent regularly eating takeaway foods.

Aussies are more likely to be found smashing a pie than snacking on pineapple, drinking wine but shunning grapes and skipping our veg, according to taste.com.au’s biggest ever health study.

In association with Freedom Foods, taste.com.au surveyed more than 11,000 Australians to find what people are actually eating across the country.

It’s known as the Great Aussie Health Discovery.

And it discovered we’re not as healthy as we think we are.

The survey found that less than one in 10 people are eating the recommended serves of both fruit and veggies each day ( just 7 per cent), and more than 80 per cent of Aussies are regularly eating highly processed takeaway foods, such as meat pies, hot chips, crisps, biscuits and muffins.

And almost one in 10 are drinking alcohol at dangerous levels.

Only 10 per cent of Aussies eat the recommended amount of veggies each day — with no improvement in this number since the last survey two years ago. Those aged between 18 and 24 are most likely to not eat any veggies at all in a day.

Fruit consumption is also down, with almost 60 per cent not eating the recommended two serves of fruit a day.

Not eating enough fruit and veg is one part of an overall less-healthy lifestyle. The same people are less likely to drink enough water, and more likely to eat junk food and drink excess alcohol each week.

Taste.com.au nutrition editor Chrissy Freer says eating enough fruit and veg each day is important for weight control, chronic disease prevention, digestion and general energy levels. “The blast of nutrients in fruit and veg put petrol in your tank and give you that healthy glow,” she says. “Vegetables especially help to regulate your weight; the dietary fibre fills you up and they are rich in antioxidants that protect from a huge range of diseases.” Almost half of all Aussies are eating junk food at least once every three days. “Meat pies, hot chips and other junk food are high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium which contributes to higher risks of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases,” Chrissy says. Interestingly, most people think they are healthier and eat better than they actually do. Seniors (65+) are the healthiest age group, but they are not as healthy as they think they are. The youngest age group surveyed (18-35) was the least healthy, indicating a generational health crisis in the making for that demographic. In better news, almost nine in 10 people are eating breakfast each day, and 80 per cent are preparing homecooked meals five or more times in the course of a week. The survey found the majority of people believe eating healthily to be more expensive, time consuming and not as family friendly.