Creativity Key in Promoting Health
By Ryan Flanagan
It might seem like there’s always been some awareness of healthy eating habits among restaurant-goers, but in the last few years, health-conscious eating has become a bona fide trend. Many restaurants, though, are seen by consumers as behind the curve in embracing this trend.
Statistics show that 93 per cent of Canadians are trying to eat healthier, says Deborah Bobier, consumer insights and strategy manager with Kraft Canada. However, only 25 per cent of Canadians think that the foodservice industry is helping to lead the way in healthy eating.
“We have a lot of room to grow in how people see that,” notes Bobier. “Restaurants need to be able to meet the needs of their customers, and if that means having some ‘better for you’ items on the menu, I think a wise restaurateur will make those efforts,” agrees Kraft Canada corporate chef Kira Smith. “I think restaurants need to take a look at their offerings and, where they can, find offerings that include healthy choices.”
It’s easy to say that, but it can be a bit harder to actually build healthy eating habits into a successful restaurant. Every restaurateur has heard horror stories about popular dishes that stopped being so popular once they were marketed as healthy.
“There may be a perception with consumers that ‘if it’s healthy for me, it’s not going to taste that good,’” says Bobier.
So what to do?
Smith and Bobier have several suggestions for restaurants looking to add health without annoying the customer, including clever substitution of ingredients, portion control, and, of course, adding fresh, in-season healthy foods.
Substitutions don’t even have to go all the way, explains Smith. Sour cream, for example, can be mixed into a recipe as half-low fat, half-full fat. “If you trim out all of the fat and all of the sodium, it’s not going to taste good, and that’s what people are afraid of,” she says. “But if you trim here and there, judiciously … it’s one of those things that has to be looked at as the bigger picture, where every little bit does count.”
Portion control is another simple solution to provide healthier meals, and it comes with the added benefit of less cost to the restaurant, some of which can be passed on to customers to further entice them to order that item.
“If you put something in front of a person, they will eat it all,” says Bobier. “It’s seen as a serving, regardless of what size a serving actually is.”
“We don’t need that much food on our plate,” agrees Smith. “People have gotten caught in the trap of size equals value when there really should be an element of food quality in the value equation.”
As for simply adding healthy ingredients to existing meals, Smith says that there’s plenty of wiggle room. “One of the interesting things about the desire for healthy options is that it’s not necessarily all about low-fat, low-calorie, etc.,” she says. “’Better for you’ is also defined as being fresh, high-quality, local, and inherent to some types of food.”
“Sometimes it can be as simple as adding a complementary vegetable,” notes Bobier.
Another option is to increase the levels of customization for customers, affording them greater control over their own healthy choices. This can be done by serving hamburger toppings on the side (which approximately half of customers prefer, even on a custom-ordered burger), as well as with more traditional examples such as salad dressing and other sauces.
“Even if they use all of it, they’re making the choice,” explains Smith.
Although global cuisine isn’t always healthier than North American dishes – consider some Chinese dishes that contain high sodium soya sauce or rich butter chicken – Smith says that some consumers may perceive global cuisine as inherently healthier, and they might be drawn to globally-inspired dishes even if they overestimate their health benefits.
She also notes, though, that there are plenty of health lessons North American chefs can take away from their international contemporaries, including using less red meat, experimenting with legumes and alternative sources of protein, roasting spices before using them and incorporating fresh herbs.
All in all, capitalizing on the current health trends isn’t as simple as putting a symbol on your menu or creating a new, healthy dish. “For chefs, it’s more of a challenge,” says Smith. “Bacon and fat makes everything taste great, but coming up with a delicious dish that’s nutritionally balanced and enticing to customers presents a real opportunity to hone your skills, foster creativity and change dining perceptions.”
