The Splurge: Why Consumers Don’t Always Eat Healthy - Signal Theory

Even the healthiest consumers occasionally treat themselves with unhealthy foods.
Consumers are fighting the urge to splurge. FoodThink’s latest white paper “Our Plight to Eat Right” revealed that most Americans say they’re aiming to eat healthier (72%), but they also admit to relaxing their healthy eating habits on specific occasions. Most splurging happens when consumers are celebrating something (46%), when they are dining out (44%) or when they are on vacation (41%).

In addition to these particular cheat occasions, consumers admit that many emotional triggers lead to indulging in unhealthy food.

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Emotional triggers affect certain segments more than others. For example, moms tend to stray away from their healthy eating habits in response to negative emotions while men are more likely to treat themselves when they’re happy. Consumers know that eating healthy is important for their overall well-being. However, they are more focused on eating in moderation, with the occasional splurge instances, than resulting to extreme diet changes. And they don’t feel guilty about it. Food marketers can help consumers manage their emotional eating triggers by providing convenient recipes, products or menu options that look and taste delicious but are still healthy.

Download the free white paper to learn more about how food marketers can help consumers reach their health and wellness goals.

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