Gen-Z intends to be healthy but they binge-eat the most, research shows

Before preparing to slay for the day with a 'snacc' like look, the Gen-Zers end up 'snackifying' themselves with a real binge on snacks, research by market intelligence agency Mintel showed. 

But on the contrary the people of Gen-Z have an intent to eat 'healthy', the research showed. 

According to an employee well-being survey by Mumbai-based The 7th Fold, higher share of Gen-Z binge eats (60 per cent) than Millennials (49 per cent) and Gen-X (40 per cent). 

So why the health-conscious Gen-Zers ends up snackifying themselves more than their predecessor generations?

The answer lies in the intent-action gap. 

"While they intend to snack healthily, their consumption tells a different story. They snack out of emotions and boredom, and familiar indulgences act as stress relievers and mood boosters. Therefore, indulgence in snacking will remain pivotal, especially for the Gen-Zs," Tulsi Joshi, senior food and drink analyst at Mintel Reports India, was quoted as saying by The Times of India. 

Why Gen-Z is binging on snacks?

Experts say it's partly because of diminishing culinary skills. 

According to Sahil Gilani, director (sales and marketing), Gits Food Products, with diminishing cooking skills among the younger generation, ready-to-eat options are being preferred over ready-to-cook ones. 

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"Brands now prioritise 'better for you' recipes that balance taste and health, departing from the tasteless 'healthy' trade-off," Gilani was quoted as saying by The Times of India. 

Gen-Z and 'low frustration tolerance'

Experts further add that the Gen-Z cannot withstand discomfort as much as their predecessor generations. So while they intend to be healthy and productive, their actions go against their intent, in what is called 'low frustration tolerance'.

The survey also showed that to deal with stress, 67 per cent of Gen-Z binge-watches video content, following which they struggle to concentrate on work tasks (33 per cent of Gen Z against 7 per cent Millennials and Gen-X). 

Also read | Gen Z is the most difficult generation to work with, finds report

The bottom-line is that a binge-watching Gen-Z binge-eats, and while their intent is 'healthy' enough their actions are not, and that as whole affects their concentration on work tasks. 

Experts recommend workplaces to have trained coaches to manage a distracted lot of Gen-Zers. 

"Gen Z could be a lot more productive if they are able to manage their frustrations better. Organisations that have a large employee base of Gen Zers would do well if they have trained coaches that are dedicated to have one-on-one sessions with the younger employees to help them focus on work and enable them to be more productive. Managers, who themselves are very young in many organisations, would not be able to manage a distracted lot of Gen Zers. A coach who can sit with them to ask what they are struggling with and help them with coping mechanisms, would help both the Gen Zers and the organisations," Hamsaz Wadhwani, founder and CEO of HR firm The 7th Fold, was quoted as saying by The Times of India. 

"Bringing them to the workplace would be better for their productivity, but a dull and boring office can be off-putting. The positive aspect is that Gen Zers want to have conversations," he added.

Source: wion