Weight-Loss Giant Wages War on New Zealands Obesity Epidemic
Weight Watchers Plate of our Nation investigates the root causes of New Zealands growing obesity problem and mounts a social movement to stem the issue
New Zealands largest and most successful weight-loss organisation is planning a major assault on the nations obesity epidemic. Weight Watchers Plate of our Nation is an ambitious and far-reaching movement which puts our attitudes to food and activity under the microscope in a bid to offer real solutions to get our nation healthy again.
With 64.8 percent of Kiwis now overweight or obese, New Zealand ranks as one of the fattest countries in the developed world. Weight Watchers is investing its 50 years of experience and scientific research to be the first commercial weight-loss organisation to take action and affect real change on our countrys collective waistlines.
Weight Watchers Plate of our Nation kicked-off in earnest with a unique, multi-layered study to investigate the root causes of the deepening obesity crisis. The report covers all areas from lifestyle, exercise, body image, health and wellbeing, finding significant disparities between generations attitudes towards activity levels, food consumption, cooking skills and weight. It reveals how gradual changes in the way we eat, move and live our lives, have crept up on us over time, and points to a grim picture for New Zealands future, with food knowledge rapidly diminishing.
Plate of our Nation key findings: 53% of young adults consider heating chicken nuggets to be cooking Nearly 4 out of 10 (39%) Generation Z respondents are unable to correctly identify staple veggies such as leek or zucchini 82% of Generation Z respondents dont use any fresh ingredients in their daily evening meals New Zealanders rarely eat as a sole activity; 81% of us are consuming meals while doing other things, from reading, texting to working, which has been shown to lead to over-eating 42% of New Zealanders continue eating until overfull On an average day, 42% of New Zealanders exercise, compared to 87% that watch TV 53% of New Zealanders admit they are concerned by the obesity crisis 36% of Generation Z believe seeing overweight people on TV makes obesity seem normal
The findings of the Weight Watchers Plate of our Nation survey are undeniable: as a society, were largely sedentary, weve lost touch with the value of fresh food and the importance of savouring mealtimes, and its the younger generation whose food knowledge is most at risk. Armed with this information, Weight Watchers is gearing up to take action.
Award-winning chef, Pete Evans, has teamed-up with Weight Watchers for the Plate of our Nation mission and is also joined by a team of specialists in the field of nutrition, psychology and exercise science. He explained his involvement:
As a chef, and someone who is in the business of bringing pleasure through food, people might be surprised to hear me being so vocal about this issue. I approached Weight Watchers some time ago because I am genuinely concerned about the growing obesity epidemic and where we are headed. Weve swapped fresh for fast, and quality for convenience, our knowledge of food and cooking skills are in decline. Were busier than ever before, but technology means that our days are filled with so much sitting watching TV, browsing the net whats worse, we do these things while were eating, so were not giving our food and mealtime the respect they deserve.
Its time for a re-think and who better than Weight Watchers to rally the nation and get us thinking about this issue and taking action?
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Weight-Loss Giant Wages War on New Zealand Obesity Epidemic
