Tauranga residents eat fewer takeaways and consume less fizzy drink than other parts of the country but have a penchant for biscuits and alcohol, according to the latest Southern Cross Health Society health survey.
The annual survey, released yesterday, questioned 2000 people throughout the country, including 158 Tauranga residents, about their eating habits.
No one in Tauranga reported eating takeaways more than three times a week and 42 per cent of people said they never ate them the highest in the country.
Tauranga nutritionist and medical herbalist Angela Frieswyk said she would not recommend eating takeaways more than once every couple of weeks.
"If I was needing to eat them more often I would make a healthier choice like sushi or Thai," she said.
Fifty-four per cent of Tauranga residents said they drank no fizzy drinks or energy drinks in a week, the highest percentage in the country, but 17 per cent admitted drinking them five or more times in a week.
Of Tauranga's under-40 population, 27 per cent said they drank more than five soft drinks a week. Conversely, 67 per cent of those aged over 40 living in Tauranga consumed no soft drinks.
Ms Frieswyk said consuming five or more soft drinks a week was far too much.
"To me, a soft drink is an irregular treat, something you wouldn't have on a regular basis. There's no need for it. It just spikes your sugar level," she said.
More than 80 per cent of Tauranga residents eat biscuits at least once a week, the highest number of any of the six main centres surveyed. Of those, 29 per cent admitted eating biscuits five or more times each week.
Biscuits were not as high up on Ms Frieswyk's list of no-nos but people needed to make sure they were not replacing healthier snack options, she said.
"There are worse [foods] but it comes down to quantity. If someone's having a biscuit with a cup of tea that's not nearly as bad as having a whole packet of chocolate biscuits," she said.
Tauranga residents also drink alcohol more often than those in other centres, with the exception of Wellington. The survey showed 60 per cent of people drank alcohol at least once a week, with 21 per cent succumbing to the temptation five or more times a week the highest of anywhere surveyed.
Ms Frieswyk said she suggested people try to have three or four alcohol-free days a week and no more than two glasses at a time.
"It's not just the effect on your weight, it's the effect on your lifestyle, it's the effect on your family. For women it can disrupt their hormones, it can displace nutrients in the body. It can affect your digestion ... the list goes on."
Yoga instructor Penny Salter, who is a vegetarian and tries not to eat too much dairy, said a healthy diet was important for general well-being.
"For me, I find that it actually affects everything. I feel better when I'm eating healthily. If I have a bit of a binge I'll feel it in my body the next day and in my mood," she said.
People needed to be careful how often they ate takeaways, especially greasy varieties, but Ms Salter said she did not think there was anything wrong with having a sweet treat each day.