Question 14 is the clearest confirmation that modern parents are making food decisions from a place of survival, not strategy. Taste and convenience dominate. Nutritional value comes third. Long-term health, gut support, and even role modelling barely register. This isn’t because parents don’t care it’s because they’re depleted, distracted, and overwhelmed. The challenge now is to connect long-term benefit with short-term wins and reframe gut health as something that supports parenting in the moment, not just health in the future. Across multiple question in this study it is demonstrated that there is an openness to find solutions but it needs to be super easy!
Parenting today is full-on.
And when your brain is overloaded and your body’s running on fumes, you don’t ask, “What’s good for my long-term gut health?”
You ask, “What can I eat right now that’s fast, easy, and doesn’t taste awful?”
That’s exactly what this question shows.
We asked 392 parents:
“When choosing food or drinks for yourself, what’s most important to you?” (Choose up to two)
| Food/Drink Priority | Count | Percentage |
| Taste — It has to be enjoyable | 293 | 74.7% |
| Convenience — Quick, easy, no prep | 186 | 47.4% |
| Nutritional value — It needs to do something for me | 177 | 45.2% |
| Setting a good example for my kids | 44 | 11.2% |
| Long-term health (mental, physical, emotional) | 27 | 6.9% |
| Gut health or digestion support | 22 | 5.6% |
When you’re already stretched thin, you default to comfort and ease. Taste = instant reward. Convenience = one less decision.
That reflects what we’ve seen in earlier questions:
You’re not making “optimal” food choices you’re making survivable ones.
Key takeaway: Parents aren’t resisting health. They’re prioritising what keeps them functioning today.
45% of parents selected nutritional value. That’s promising it shows people do want food to serve a function. But it’s not enough to override taste or speed at the moment.
They’re not going to prep a gut-healing bowl of lentils and fermented veg. They want something that tastes good, takes 30 seconds, and actually does something for their mood or energy.
That’s exactly where FiiHii can step in:
Simple. Functional. Evidence-backed. No prep. No guesswork.
Key takeaway: Nutrition can compete but only when it’s convenient and compelling.
Only 5.6% selected gut health.
Only 6.9% selected long-term mental, physical, or emotional health.
That might seem discouraging but it’s actually a huge insight:
But when framed differently “this helps you stay calmer at bedtime,” “this stops your 3pm crash,” “this helps you show up as the version of you your kids deserve” the conversation changes entirely. This is because we are operating at such speed and cognitive load it needs to address exactly those points we all feel but do not consciously think about.
Key takeaway: Gut health doesn’t need louder science. It needs better relevance.
Parents often say they want to lead by example.
But when you’re in survival mode, example-setting takes a back seat. Not out of hypocrisy but out of necessity.
This echoes Q4 (96% of parents don’t prioritise themselves) and Q13 (most feel like they’re winging it and not sure if they’re doing enough).
The mindset isn’t “I don’t care.”
It’s “I’m trying to hold everything together and I’m just hoping it’s enough.”
Key takeaway: Parents don’t need reminders that food is modelling behaviour. They need support to make better choices feel possible.
This question shows exactly how parents are making decisions and why traditional wellness advice misses the mark.
They don’t want more to think about. They want less friction, more energy, and reassurance that they’re doing okay.
So when we talk to parents about gut health, fibre, food variety, and long-term wellbeing we have to connect it directly to:
That’s the only way to cut through the noise.
And that’s exactly where FiiHii leads.
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