Kuala Lumpur, 23 May 2019 – Herbalife Nutrition (NYSE: HLF), a premier global nutrition company whose purpose is to make the world healthier and happier, has released the results from its Asia Pacific Healthy Breakfast Survey 2019, which was conducted earlier this year. The survey comprised of 5,500 respondents across 11 markets, including 500 Malaysians.
The surveybuilds upon the original study conducted in 2018, which looked at consumers’ attitudes and habits towards breakfast. This year, the survey uncovered the typical local breakfast combinations that consumers opt for, the factors influencing these decisions, as well as their views of what makes up a healthier breakfast combination.
General Breakfast Behaviour Among Malaysians
The aim of the survey was to discover the attitudes and behaviours of Malaysians towards breakfast besides determining the differences between an ideal breakfast, a typical breakfast, and a healthier breakfast. The survey revealed that more than half of Malaysians (54%) consume their breakfast within 2-3 hours of waking up every day while 12% consume their breakfast within the same time span for five days a week.
What’s encouraging to know is that 61% of those surveyed said that having healthy food is an important factor when deciding what to eat for breakfast with a whopping 74% of Malaysians feeling more energetic after consuming breakfast within 2-3 hours of waking up.
“It is widely understood that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Starting each day with a healthy breakfast supports metabolism, muscle health and long-term weight management. With this in mind, it is encouraging to know that more than half of Malaysians consume their breakfast within the first few hours of waking up and it is essential that they make informed decisions to kickstart their day with the right nutrients,” said Dr. Kent Bradley, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Nutrition Education as well as the Chairman of the Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board (NAB).
Typical Breakfast Meal for Malaysians
For Malaysians, the main factors which led to them choosing their typical breakfast meal are convenience and accessibility, with a massive 75% accounting for it. Meanwhile, taste and affordability tie as the second most important factors at 49% each. Healthy and nutritious breakfast meals ranked lower in the list at 39% and 37% respectively.
“Having a healthy breakfast is key in providing the energy that the body needs in the morning to kick-start one’s metabolism. Thus, it’s important for Malaysians to factor in healthy and nutritious breakfast meals in the morning as the body needs the right nutrients to make sure that it gets a good start to the day,” said Dr. Kent Bradley.
On another note, more than half of the Malaysian respondents (56%) would have their breakfast at home. Coffee continues to be a favourite beverage item among Malaysians with 54% opting for the drink while 42% chose tea as the second preferred item. In terms of food, 44% has professed their love for eggs, followed by rice at 39%. Together, both items are the typical breakfast combination for Malaysians as selected by 30% of the respondents.
Desire for a Healthier Breakfast
Despite the lack of widespread understanding on the ideal nutritional composition for a healthy breakfast, 94% of Malaysians strive to consume healthier breakfast options in the morning. However, the lack of time (73%), lack of money (36%) and amount of effort required (33%) remained as key obstacles that prevent them from doing so.
“Based on the survey results, it is heartening to note that over 9 of 10 Malaysians want to have healthier breakfasts, provided it is easy to prepare, convenient, accessible and cost-effective. This is a good sign and indeed a good start towards making Malaysia happier and healthier,” said Steven Chin, General Manager / Director of Herbalife Nutrition Malaysia.
“For us at Herbalife Nutrition, we’ve invested in new products while continually improve on our current products such as the Herbalife Nutrition Formula 1 Nutritious Mixed Soy Protein Drink, to make it really easy for consumers to prepare a tasty, nutritious, healthy breakfast every day, added Steven Chin.
Herbalife Nutrition Asia Pacific Wellness Tour
Herbalife Nutrition is bringing its 11th Asia Pacific Wellness Tour to the region, featuring a series of nutrition talks held in cities across Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The Tour, which lasts through May, will play host to Herbalife Nutrition experts and Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board (NAB) members, who will share their expertise on a variety of health-related topics, and educate the public on the importance of having a healthy breakfast every day.
