Mindful eating: what are wellness foods? For 8 out of 10 Italians, foods that have positive physical effects can help them feel more energetic. This was revealed by research by HelloFresh, which also offers the curious top 10 of the beneficial properties of the most googled foods in Italy. Curious? Courtesy of HelloFresh
The relationship that binds the theme of well being and of mental health to the theme ofconscious eating, the so-called “mindful eating”, is increasingly intriguing Italians. In today’s frenetic society, being able to focus on your senses while purchasing ingredients, cooking and enjoying them has positive effects on your mood. Well the 56% of Italians associate meal times with happinessil 40% at the nearness with loved ones and other feelings such as the security given by one’s routine and nostalgia for flavors linked to one’s childhood.
Mindful eating, foods for well-being
Furthermore, almost 8 out of 10 Italians they believe that foods that have concrete positive effects on the body they can help you feel more energetic (78%); the aspects taken most into consideration when it comes to foods that make you feel good are the freshness (70%), the quality (65%) and the seasonality (64%).
To verify the increase in interest in issues related toconscious eating et al relationship between food and emotions, HelloFreshhome recipe box service, together with the nutritionist Silvia Bettocchicommissioned research to investigate the online trends related to the application of mindfulness in the kitchen (in terms of happiness and psychophysical well-being) and identify the ingredients associated with well-being most sought after in Italy.
Nutrition? Aware
“Mindful eating promotes a new approach focused on the quality of the experience at the table. In fact, it requires greater attention not only to what you eat, but also to how you eat it.
The practice of preparing meals, from selecting ingredients to cooking and plating, thus becomes an opportunity to cultivate awareness and dedicate time to yourself every day. This moment of “break” from the hectic daily routine allows us to connect with ourselves and with food in a deeper way, nourishing our mind as well as our body” he claims Silvia Bettocchi, Nutritional Biologist at the IRCCS Ca’ Granda Foundation Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan.
Nutrition and happiness: the top 5 of the most popular online searches in Italy
In recent years the awareness of correlation between emotions and food in Italy it has grown significantly as demonstrated by the increase in online search volumes, with the themes of “mindfulness” he was born in “mindful eating” which have recorded 36,000 and 2,630 average monthly searches respectively since January 2021.
In particular, HelloFresh has identified the top 5 of the most interesting topics that link nutrition and happiness.
On the podium at first place in Google searches the association “foods and serotonin” (66%). Known as the “hormone of happiness”, serotonin is in fact also produced on the basis of the foods consumed during the day and a varied diet can contribute to good mental and physical health.
Al second place online searches related to the theme are positionedconscious eating” (22%), demonstrating the growing sensitivity of Italians to this food strategy.
Al third place with smaller growth volumes the theme of “anti-stress diets” (6%), followed by “foods for a good mood” (4%) e “what to eat to be happy” (2%).
Nutrition and psychophysical well-being
Trending online searches also testify that, in addition to the association between food and emotions, Italians are becoming more and more interested too nutrition in relation to psychophysical well-being. In 2024, significant growth volumes were recorded for the keywords “foods to lower blood pressure” (2,000 searches per month), the link between physical and psychological health with the keyword “mind and body” e “foods for the mind”.
The top 10 beneficial properties of the most googled foods in Italy
The choice of ingredients has a significant impact on one’s physical and mental health: for 8 out of 10 Italians (82%) seasonal fruit and vegetables have positive effects on wanting to eat healthier. This attention to psycho-physical wellbeing it is also proven by the constant growth of online searches relating to beneficial properties of foods.
In the Italian top 10 of the beneficial properties of the most searched for ingredients online, searches forgarlic (the keyword “garlic is good for you” recorded a 69% increase in the volume of online searches compared to 2021), followed by almonds in second position and from miele in third position.
The ranking continues l’avocado in fourth position, a fruit that has achieved much popularity in recent years, ei blueberries in fifth position, with an increase in search volume for the keyword “blueberries are good for you” by 129% from 2021.
They complete the top 10 of research on nutritional qualities that are good for your body chili in sixth position, followed by onion in seventh place, come on banana in eighth place, from lemon and finally give it ginger.
Nourish the body but also the mind
“The concept of “mindful eating” is used to describe a dietary strategy that supports the importance of full awareness of one’s senses in nourishing both the body and the mind. Thanks to the support of data coming from both the surveys and the online research we commissioned, we observed that in Italy the connection between food and psychological and physical well-being is increasingly sought after” he claims Marine Faurie, CEO of HelloFresh Italia.
“The HelloFresh boxes, with fresh, pre-measured ingredients and detailed recipe cards, are designed to easily support people in preparing their own meals, so that this action is also experienced as a small “daily mindful” practice conclude Faurie.
How HelloFresh works
Ordering HelloFresh boxes is very simple: once you have signed up for the weekly subscription, you can choose between 7 different menu preferences (Quick, Italian, Vegetarian, For the whole family, Healthy, From the world, Chosen by you) based on your culinary needs.
Each menu offers a wide range of recipes that vary according to seasonality, for a total of 21 new options to choose from every week.
Once the order has been submitted within the indicated deadlines, quality raw materials and pre-measured ingredients they are delivered directly to your home to facilitate planning of your weekly shopping.
Discovering new recipes and preparing them carefully as a small “mindful” action of the day is so simple, thanks to home delivery and illustrated recipe cards from HelloFresh!
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