The short answer to the above, according to Marsha Ellis of Eden Vegetarian restaurant, is yes. Ellis tells Thursday Life that “People are asking for more raw vegetables and making an effort to move more towards having a balanced diet.”

Ellis further explained that “nowadays people are ordering protein and vegetables instead of starch and carbohydrates for the added benefit they provide”.

The eating healthy trend continues over at Wendy’s, where the salads are very popular. This according to Pamela Lawson, operations manager at the fast food eatery’s Liguanea Plaza branch, who said: “With our combo choices, we still have a lot of people choosing our side and Caesar salads even though we also have many going for the fries.”

“I think people are thinking more about healthy eating habits, but unfortunately the number of persons actually doing it consistently is still the minority,” Lawson added.

Eugena Hamilton, manager at Earl’s Juice Garden, told us a different story. Not many people are eating healthy, based on customers’ orders. However, when they do, they go for the lunches with salad and stew complete with shakes, carrot juice or green juice (cucumber blended with other green vegetables).

At TGI Fridays, manager Narda Green admitted that she has not seen an increase in the consumption of healthier meals compared to previous times. However, a salad was added to the lunch and dinner menu as a way of encouraging the habit.

“I’m eating not as healthy as I could have, but I’m eating healthier than before,” admitted medical doctor André McDonald. He noted that for the past month, he has had only one soda, very little sweets and tries to eat fish every other day and a lot more vegetables.

“From my experience the people who eat better feel better,” McDonald said. He advised that in order to begin eating better, one must first know what eating better entails, for which he offered the following:

. Having 11 servings of grains (found in oats, whole wheat, soy, flaxseed, etc) daily;

. 5 – 9 servings of vegetables daily;

. 2 – 5 servings of protein daily;

. 1 – 2 servings of sugar and good fat daily.

“The closer you get to a diet that resembles that list, is the healthier you are eating,” he said.

He noted that proper diet, exercise and rest gives the complete package to proper lifestyle changes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that one exercise 30 – 45 minutes at least three times per week.