Spring, a season naturally associated with renewal and regeneration, brings extra motivation for making constructive decisions and implementing lifestyle changes that help people achieve their goals—especially in areas such as diet, exercise, rest, relationships, and career.
The latest study conducted by the CIPRA Association – Center for Information, Risk Prevention, and Analysis – in collaboration with Reveal Marketing Research, explores one of these key aspects: Romanians’ perception of their diet quality and the changes they are willing to make to improve it.
According to the findings, 39% of respondents (an increase from the previous study) consider their diet to be of good quality, 53% rate it as average, and 7% describe it as poor. Meanwhile, 47% of respondents are satisfied or very satisfied with their current weight, while 25% express dissatisfaction. Notably, 74% of respondents had not followed a diet in the six months prior to the survey. Among the 26% who did, only 12% did so based on a specialist’s recommendation. Additionally, 14% reported using fasting as a method, with the majority (36%) fasting for 1-3 weeks, and a higher percentage of men managing to maintain the practice for extended periods.
“In Romania, statistics indicate that more than half of the population struggles with weight-related issues, significantly impacting the health of those who are overweight or obese. Excess weight often results from an unhealthy diet combined with a sedentary lifestyle. A key concern is that many individuals who believe they have a good diet or are satisfied with their weight may misjudge these factors. That is why consulting a doctor for regular check-ups and personalized nutrition advice is essential, especially when selecting a diet. Not every diet works for everyone, and achieving results requires a long-term, individualized strategy,” explains Dr. Șerban Damian, sports doctor and nutritionist, and CIPRA expert.
54% of Romanians believe that they have a balanced menu, consuming from all food groups. Vegetables, fruits and bakery products continue to be at the top of the list of foods consumed by respondents daily or almost daily, with 78% of the votes, followed by: meat and fish (73%), dairy products (68%), eggs (63%), sweets (63%). On the other hand, 20% of respondents frequently consume vegan products, 15% special products (gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, etc.), and 14% fast food (burgers, pizza).
There is openness to better eating habits
Sugar, bakery products and meat are in the top 3 foods perceived as harmful by respondents, and the main reason why they would give them up is health, to a much lesser extent being motivated by personal principles, such as caring for the planet or animals, or financial reasons.
Thus, respondents would consider giving up:
➡️ sugar – 55%
➡️ bakery products – 43%
➡️ meat – 28%
➡️ fish – 25%
➡️ dairy products – 23%
➡️ animal products – 23%.
To improve their diet, most respondents (50% compared to 36% in the previous study) believe that it would help them afford to buy everything they want. 41% feel the need to find healthy foods more easily, 36% would like to have a detailed eating plan for the whole week, 31% would like to have more knowledge about what it means to eat healthy, 27% feel that they lack enough time to cook for themselves, and 20% believe that if they avoided fast food/junk food, their diet would improve.
The CIPRA study also analyzes other relevant aspects related to Romanians’ diet, such as the importance given to meals of the day, daily water consumption, food waste, impulse purchases and the consequences of unhealthy diet, such as problems with digestion, irritability and lack of energy.
Conducted by Reveal Marketing Research in November 2024 based on the CAWI methodology (online self-applied questionnaires), the CIPRA study targeted a nationally representative sample, consisting of 1067 respondents, men and women, internet users, from urban or rural areas, aged over 18 years.