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Currywurst with fries or schnitzel: that’s the usual canteen food cliché. But the typical menu is in transition. More and more people are opting for a more conscious way of life, and regional and seasonal products are becoming increasingly important to consumers. This also affects the orders in the canteens, because healthy canteen food is more in demand than ever!

Healthy canteen food is extremely popular

Healthy meals are being ordered more and more frequently in the canteens of companies, clinics, homes, and rehabilitation facilities. This is shown by a survey of around 300 managers, which the Internorga trade fair presented in advance.

According to this, 80 percent of those surveyed said that they influence a healthy diet with the food they offer. Especially vegetarian and vegan meals are in demand, as Internorga reports.

A conscious way of life

It is also particularly pleasing that more regional and seasonal products are used for the canteen food. In this way, various dishes can also be offered more cheaply, which creates a renewed incentive to buy. Around 30 million meals a week are served in canteen kitchens.

Eating habits: The Germans are getting fatter. The reason for this is revealed by the eating habits of Germans, which the German Society for Nutrition presented in the 13th Nutrition Report in February 2017. They also emphasize that the consumption of foods with a high energy density must be restricted in order to reduce the risk of obesity.

Eating habits: Germans are overweight

Being overweight is becoming an increasingly common problem in Germany: 59 percent of men and 37 percent of women are overweight. Men gain a lot of weight with age: At the end of their working life, 74.2 percent are overweight – for women of the same age it is 56.3 percent.

Prof. Helmut Heseker, former President of the DGE, who worked on the topic for the 13th DGE Nutrition Report, explains: “Many people in Germany eat too much energy-rich food and exercise too little.” The options for action to minimize the incidence of obesity become clear in the following eating habits.

Positive eating habits: More variety of vegetables on the plate

The consumption of vegetables (especially tomatoes, carrots, onions, leafy and stalked vegetables), berries, and nuts is increasing at the same time. This trend leads to a higher intake of some vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals, and fiber.

However, the consumption of fresh fruit and citrus fell. Prof. Dr. Peter Stehle, Editor-in-Chief of the 13th DGE Nutrition Report, says: “We must continue our efforts to promote the consumption of foods with a comparatively low energy density. This includes above all plant-based foods such as vegetables and fruit.”

Fish is eaten too seldom

While meat consumption has been too high for several years but has been constant in the development of eating habits, too little fish has been consumed since 2010. This has a negative impact on the health of the population, as important omega 3 fatty acids and iodine for the prevention of coronary heart disease are missing.

Consumption of grain products: good for health

In recent years, eating habits have evolved towards continuously consuming more durum wheat semolina, pasta, and rice. The DGE evaluates this positively: The cereal dietary fibers probably reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus and colon cancer.

More cheese is good, but caution should be exercised

The consumption of fresh milk products has remained relatively stable in recent years, but the consumption of cheese has increased. This development in eating habits has a positive effect on health through a higher intake of proteins, calcium, iodine, and vitamin B2. However, you should be careful with high-fat variants, as they may contribute to a higher energy intake.

The consumption of water as a thirst quencher should continue to rise

Germans drink more water and soft drinks, but when it comes to eating habits, the DGE recommends increasing water consumption even further and reducing the consumption of sugary drinks to avoid obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The DGE justifies the increase in coffee consumption with the “to-go trend” and warns against coffee specialties containing energy.

One bar of chocolate more per year

Since the year 2000, the consumption of chocolate by the population has risen by a total of 25 percent. Although there is a declining trend in the consumption of sweets, every German eats an average of one more bar of chocolate a year than before.