Kiwis are feeling continually more stressed about being "healthy" according to new research, with most thinking healthy food is too expensive, and one in four believing they need to lose more than 15kg to reach a healthy weight.
The research also showed that, during the past 12 months, 79 percent of New Zealanders had tried some kind of diet.
The survey, by the new Nutribullet Balance, investigated the attitudes of more than 1000 New Zealanders towards food and dietary habits in September 2018.
Two-thirds (65 percent) of Kiwis surveyed said they would eat healthier if it was easier, with more than a third of respondents saying they are often stressed and confused about what they should be eating.
Dieting remains a key tactic to lose weight, with the study showing that, during the past twelve months, eight out of 10 (79 percent) Kiwis had been on some kind of diet, with one in ten having done so for the whole year. Interestingly, these stats were much higher among 45- to 55-year-olds.
Outside of feeling overweight, parting with their hard-earned cash is the main factor influencing people's diet (62 percent) - particularly among the younger age groups.
Nutritionist Nikki Hart says she's not surprised there is so much confusion among Kiwis on what they should eat.
"We are constantly bombarded with food trends - we want health but we want luxury, we worry about obesity but we want a quick fix not a long term plan," she says.
"Our obesity statistics are showing us that we are still steadily gaining. Twenty years ago when I first started consulting 120kg was considered rare - now I regularly see people at 140kg."
Hart says portion control is essential when trying to maintain a healthy body and parents need to stop feeding their children adult sized portions.
"Your hands are the key to portioning for your body. For example the palm of your hand and its thickness should be the meat/chicken portion (the whole hand if its fish), a clenched fist is an excellent way to visualise the potato/rice/pasta and two cupped hands is your vegetable/salad (roughly half the plate)."
Hart says making small changes, like increasing intake of water; vegetables and fruit along with moving regularly and getting enough sleep can all help.
"Most importantly, remember there is no such thing as good or bad food, because if we start associating those feelings with food we start berating ourselves for being anything less than perfect," she says.
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