So who believes in Magic?
With so many conflicting messages around about health, and what foods we should be eating these days, it’s hard to know what to believe. It’s also hard for marketers and food producers to keep up with what their consumers believe is healthy, and thus what they are most likely to buy.
We’ve all heard of so called ‘magic foods’; it seems there’s a new one every month. Buy are people listening? Which foods – if any – do people consider to be magic foods?
Researchers at Decision Analyst conducted a survey of 4,156 people to find out which foods and beverages, if any, people believe provide additional health benefits beyond just basic nutritional needs.
The results showed that people over 55 years old are the most likely age group to believe in a wide variety of ‘magic foods’, with 18-34 year-olds being the most sceptical age group. Additionally, people ‘with various ailments exhibit a greater belief in “magic foods,” particularly those with menopausal symptoms’.
So which foods did most respondents think of as magic? Top of the list was oatmeal, followed by garlic, green tea, tomatoes, blueberries, dark chocolate and soy.
