Today, May 28, the planet celebrates World Nutrition Day. We know that in recent years, our eating habits and relationship with food have changed considerably. Not only do we have more options to take care of our diet, but there are also healthy alternatives.
Taking advantage of the date, Nestlé has carried out its VIII Observatory Nestlé on Nutritional Habits and Lifestyle of Families. On this occasion they have analyzed whether our day-to-day life is based on sustainability, and whether Spaniards eat a healthier diet. Fortunately, the data reveals that there is a growing awareness that food and sustainability should be the same goal. In fact, 80% of the Spanish surveyed think that what they eat has a direct impact on the environment; although 16% are not very clear about it and only 4% believe that there is no relationship.
Spaniards have more vegan eating habits
The number of people who have reduced the consumption of animal protein for vegetable It has continued to rise year after year. The flexitarianism it has gone from being a trend to a lifestyle that continues to grow. In fact, 21% of Spaniards already consider themselves flexitarian; 4 points more than 4 years ago. Barcelona and the Levante area accumulate almost 26% of Spaniards who practice this type of diet.
The results show that we are at the beginning of the change. More and more people prefer to follow a greener diet, and not only for nutritional reasons. Although the first reason is health, the second reason is sustainability. More than 47% of those surveyed place the well-being of the planet as the second compelling reason for changing (or being willing to do so) their eating habits.
It also reveals that 40% of Spanish families assure that they have already incorporated meat substitute products on a regular basis and close to 50% also prefer vegetable drinks. In addition, 4 out of 10 assure that they would incorporate them more frequently if there were more availability at the usual points of sale.
Even so, 6 out of 10 Spaniards have not yet integrated vegetable alternatives into their day to day. Therefore, food education is convenient and show examples to create menus and recipes with vegetables to a greater extent. This will make eating healthier, without giving up flavor.
The people of Madrid are the ones who would include insects the most
As for the foods they would be willing to eat for the benefit of the planet, the Nestlé Observatory shows that almost 60% of Spaniards would opt for vegetable alternatives more frequently to have a more respectful diet with the environment. 22% would be willing to include laboratory meat (which does not come directly from the animal but from its cells extracted and grown in a laboratory) and 19% would even dare to eat insects.
However, insects are a type of food that is not highly regarded in Western culture. That is why 36% of Spaniards would prefer to eat them if they were camouflaged within a product, or in a recipe that is not noticeable. 16,4% would use them as an alternative to flour to prepare battered cakes and in third position, 13,6% would include it in their diet as a crunchy snack. In this case, the people of Madrid are the most predisposed to eat insects (26%).