Gourmet burger chain Grill’d has released the findings of its Carbfusion Study, and it highlights Australians seek healthy food alternatives more than ever.

The study, which involved 1000 men and women from across Australia, arrived at a number of key findings:

• Two in three respondents have tried a specific diet or cleanse – 60 percent of men and 73 percent of women.
• Low carb, low fat and low sugar diets are the most popular.
• Thirty-nine percent of people last two weeks on a low carb diet, and they cite giving in to temptation (43 percent) and a lack of convenient and interesting meal options (26 percent) as key reasons for their failure.
• One in two men feel they need to exercise more to make up for breaking a diet, meanwhile one in three women share the same view.
• Three in 10 women have said their ‘diet starts tomorrow’ while half often feel guilty about what they eat.

Recent studies that point to Australians’ increased health consciousness have been well documented by Franchising, and most predict the trend will continue to gain traction.

If you’re interested in investing in a food franchise, it could be worth investigating the healthy food items they offer – if the aforementioned figures are anything to go by, this is an area that is sure to continue to boom.

Below is a selection of food franchises that either specialise in, or have recently added healthier options to their offering.

Grill’d

Off the back of its recent research, Grill’d has devised a new range of burgers that contain less than 10 percent carbohydrates per 100g.

The burgers are made using the company’s low carb ‘SuperBun,’ and include all natural ingredients such as free range eggs, almond meal, organic coconut cream, psyllium husk, tapioca flour, raw honey and salt.

The burgers are also paleo friendly and suitable for vegetarians. “[They are] going to appeal to a wide range of health-conscious Aussies following low carb, grain free, gluten free and refined sugar free diets,” said Grill’d founder, Simon Crowe.

Sumo Salad

While its focus has always been healthier alternatives, Sumo Salad has ramped up its offering of late to include salads that contain super foods such as quinoa and kale, it’s switched to free range chicken, and even added cold pressed juices to the mix.

The company recently launched a brand new store model, where customers can see their food being prepared in front of them and even pick produce from the walls (pictured).

Paleo Cafe

As its name suggests, Paleo Cafe specialises in paleo-friendly food and beverages – items are free from grains, legumes and dairy products.

Speaking with Franchising late last year, co-founder Marlies Hobbes said: “Paleo Cafe provides a fresh, bright and personal experience where customers can enjoy nutritious, home cooked-style meals, educational resources and a convenient and well researched range of paleo products and supplies, so they can also enjoy living the paleo lifestyle at home.”

The cafes are open for breakfast and lunch, and since it started franchising last year the business has grown to include 12 sites.

Nutrition Station

Healthy living is at the forefront of the Nutrition Station brand, a relatively new player in the franchising realm.

The menu includes food and beverages that are designed to be nourishing yet flavoursome, and they are approved by nutritionist Moodi Dennaoui.

The franchise appeals to the gym junkie in particular – a reflection of its focus on foods like protein pancakes and protein frozen yoghurt, as well as smoothies including ‘active lifestyle’ options such as the Energiser, Muscle Maker and Shredder.

Traditional fast food chains

In an effort to keep up with customer demand, a number of global fast food chains have added healthier options to their menus.

At McDonald’s the menu includes a salads and wraps section as well as smoothies, meanwhile at KFC customers can choose from a selection of salads.

Images: Sumo Salad, Nutrition Station.