1 in 6 people who want to eat healthier can't afford healthy food options

Last year, 36 percent of adults in the Netherlands said they wanted to eat healthier. One in six of them said they couldn’t follow through on that wish because they can’t afford healthy food options, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Thursday.

The statistics office researched what prevented people from eating healthier. In addition to unhealthy options simply being cheaper, 46 percent of those who want a healthier diet said that they occasionally let others persuade them to eat unhealthy, and 39 percent said they found it difficult to give up unhealthy food.

People mainly want a healthier diet to reduce the risk of health problems or diseases. Over half (53.6 percent) gave health as the reason to improve their food choices. Feeling physically fitter was mentioned by 28 percent of respondents. And ten percent said they wanted to lose weight, improve their appearance, or not gain weight.

The majority of Netherlands residents didn’t want to improve their diets last year. Most, 58 percent, said they already eat healthy enough. Five percent said they didn’t think about it, and 1 percent said they did not consider healthy food important.