Carb-Conscious Japanese More Hesitant to Eat Rice Dishes

Fujicco, a company that makes processed food products including konbu and simmered beans, ran a recent online survey aimed at 520 men and women aged from 20 to 69, asking how they chose what to eat at mealtimes. When asked about the nutritional composition of their meals and what concerned them, at 34.6%, the majority of respondents said “carbohydrates”, followed by 31.7% who stated “fats”, and 31.0% “protein.”

The top reasons they gave for these concerns were to “maintain body shape” (39.8%), “illness and its prevention” (38.7%), and “diet” (31.7%). It showed that there was strong awareness for the need to increase protein intake and reduce carbohydrates and fats in order to stay healthy and in shape.

Among the types of food that respondents avoided or felt reluctant to eat, the top two were rice dishes (44.2%) and fried food (41.1%). While people often mention wanting to avoid “sweets” or “ramen” due to them having an unhealthy image, it seems that many more people are concerned about the carbohydrates and fats in their everyday meals.

Meanwhile though, less than 20% of people had set an intake of the amount of both carbohydrates and fats for each meal. Fujicco commented that “as many people are choosing food products that are somewhat lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein, it is resulting in possibly less choice in what they can eat at mealtimes.”

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)