More than one in three U.S. consumers are following a specific diet or eating pattern, and they are increasingly averse to carbohydrates and sugar, according to the 13th Annual Food and Health Survey, released last week by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation.
Given a list of diets to choose from, or the option to write in a response, 36 percent of Americans reported following a specific eating pattern or diet within the past year, about two-and-a-half times the number (14 percent) from 2017 when it was an open-ended question.
The top eating pattern cited was intermittent fasting (10 percent). Diets considered at least somewhat restrictive of carbohydrates were well-represented, including Paleo (7 percent), low-carb (5 percent), Whole30 (5 percent), high-protein (4 percent), and ketogenic/high-fat (3 percent). Younger consumers (age 18 to 34) were more likely to follow a specific eating pattern or diet than those 35 and above.
More Americans than in previous years blame carbs, and specifically sugars, for weight gain. While sugars continue to be the most cited cause of weight gain (33 percent), carbohydrates ranked second at (25 percent), up from 20 percent in 2017. Both of those numbers are the highest since 2011. Fats (16 percent), protein (3 percent) and “all sources” (17 percent) lagged behind when placing blame.
Cardiovascular Health Is Top Desired Benefit, But Consumers Don’t Know How To Achieve It
Almost all consumers are interested in getting specific health benefits from food or nutrients. However, the top two desired health benefits in 2018 changed places from 2017: This year, 20 percent ranked cardiovascular health as their top desired benefit, followed by weight loss or weight management at 18 percentand energy at 13 percent. In 2017, those numbers were 16 percent, 32 percent and 14 percent respectively.
But consumers don’t know, and remain confused, about how to achieve these desired outcomes; only 38 percent are able to name a food they would seek out to help with their top health concern. Protein was most frequently identified (10 percent), followed by vegetables (7 percent), vitamins and minerals (5 percent) and fruits (4 percent).
“This dietary disconnect — the inability to connect specific foods and nutrients to desired health outcomes — illustrates the need for stronger, clearer, nutrition education based on the best available evidence,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation.
Eight in 10 (80 percent) consumers said there is a lot of conflicting information about what foods to eat or avoid, a number similar to 2017. Of those people, 59 percent say that conflicting information makes them doubt their food choices—but the data show a troubling disparity among ethnicities, with those who doubt their choices as a result of conflicting information rising to 78 percent of Hispanic consumers.
Organics, “Natural” and Sustainability Grow As Priorities
“Food values” continue their growth as a factor in consumers’ decision-making, with organics increasingly popular in purchasing choices. When shopping for foods and beverages, 29 percent buy those labeled “organic,” up from 25 percent in 2017. The increase is even more significant when people eat out: 20 percent said they eat at restaurants with foods and beverages advertised as organic compared to 14 percent last year.
Similarly, 37 percent of shoppers bought foods and beverages billed as “natural,” up from 31 percent in 2017, and 26 percent of consumers ate at restaurants with “natural” food and beverage options compared to 23 percent in 2017.
The importance of sustainability in food production also loomed larger in 2018, with 59 percent of consumers saying it’s important that the foods they purchase and consume be produced in a sustainable way, jumping up from 50 percent in 2017.
Out of those 59 percent who believe sustainability is important, their top two most important individual factors of sustainability increased significantly over 2017: 33 percent in 2018 said reducing pesticides was their top priority, up from 27 percent in 2017, while ensuring an affordable food supply increased to 16 percent in 2018 from 10 percent last year.
