It’s Wednesday! And according to supermarket Waitrose (non-sponsored) shoppers are increasingly looking for healthy options in the middle of the week – a sort of ‘wellbeing Wednesday’.
Nearly a third (31%) of us use the day to search for ‘healthy eating’ and a fifth (21%) look for ‘healthy recipes’ for midweek motivation.
The use of the digital world for health inspiration is also growing generally. In the last year, searches for ‘healthy eating’ on Waitrose.com have grown by 30%. And more widely, Google searches for ‘health’ and ‘healthy diet’ are up 19% and 12% respectively, compared to five years ago.
Moira Howie, Nutrition & Health Manager, Waitrose, said: “We’ve long suspected that people’s motivation for healthy eating can reach a low point by the middle of the week. Our figures show that many are now looking for inspiration to avoid the midweek slump and to keep them going until the weekend.”
As the British sun shines and we embark on the summer holiday season, research commissioned by Waitrose4 identified our overall motivations for becoming healthier.
For those who have recently made a move to get healthier, the most common motivator for getting healthy is seeing an unflattering photo of oneself or no longer fitting into an item of clothing. And a so-called ‘tombola Birthday’, one ending in a zero or five, is a big driver to getting healthy, as is a special event such as a wedding.
The research5 also highlighted attitudes towards adopting and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. The results revealed that over half (56%) of us don’t feel on top of our health with over a third saying this is due to not having enough time.
Of those who make the time, one in ten said they get their motivation to stay healthy through apps and other technologies, such as fitness trackers, continuing to prove the power of tech and online in adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Moira Howie, Nutrition & Health Manager, Waitrose, continues: “Many shoppers have the best intentions to be healthier but busy lives get in the way. We know that small steps such as helpful recipes or apps can all help to get people started, and most importantly, stay on track.”
Health and nutrition is a rapidly growing market in the UK. To help customers make healthier choices, Waitrose has announced a number of new initiatives to help shoppers make small but achievable changes. This includes the launch of Healthy Eating Specialists in its shops and a new ‘Good Health’ mark on more than 1600 lines to make it easier for customers to make healthier choices when they’re shopping.
Hats off to Waitrose! We visited their Christmas in July recently and were really impressed with the healthier options planned for this year.
