|
Following
are key highlights of a recent survey conducted by the Angus Reid
Group that polls the Nutritional IQ of Canadians:
 |
Seven
in ten Canadians (71 per cent) rate their personal eating
habits as good in terms of nutrition |
| |
|
|
Of
those polled, 94 per cent rated nutrition as an important
factor when choosing their groceries (second only to taste
at 97 per cent) |
| |
|
|
More
women than men are likely to rate fat content as an important
factor when choosing their groceries (87 per cent and 79 per
cent respectively) |
| |
|
|
Over
half of Canadians (55 per cent) said that lack of time affects
their ability to eat nutritiously. This number increases to
70 per cent among Canadians aged 18 to 34 |
| |
|
|
Though
the majority of Canadians could correctly identify the categories
belonging to Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, similar
proportions also incorrectly identified Breads and Pastas
and Beans and Legumes as food groups included in the Guide. |
| |
|
|
Few
Canadians could correctly identify how many servings of each
category are recommended daily - especially Grain Products
(7 per cent.) Less than half correctly identified serving
requirements for Vegetables and Fruit and Milk Products (42
per cent and 43 per cent respectively.) Meat and Alternatives
scored the highest, with 71 per cent of those polled identifying
the correct number of daily servings. |
| |
|
|
Eight
in ten Canadians (80 per cent) are concerned about getting
whole wheat or fibre in their diets. Regionally, concern is
highest in Ontario (85 per cent) and lowest in Quebec (70
per cent). |
| |
|
|
Although
95 per cent of those polled identified whole grain breads
as a source of dietary fibre, only 38 per cent were aware
that pasta was also a source of fibre. |
| |
|
|
Overall,
the majority of Canadians are unaware of the health benefits
of fibre. Sixty per cent said it helped to prevent bowel problems,
however, very few could identify other benefits (13 per cent
said it lowers the risk of certain cancers and 10 per cent
said it lowers blood cholesterol) |
Sponsored by Borden Foods Canada,
the survey was based on interviews with 1500 individuals in Canada,
18 years of age and older. The margin of error for this study
was +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
|