What kinds of diets do consumers want? My previous post noted the top 3 diets – from a scientific standpoint – but nutritionists say consumers swap what’s safe and sound for what’s fast and flawed, preferring trendy diets like keto and intermittent fasting.
Pollock Communications and Today’s Dietitian just released their annual survey of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), this year totaling 1,342 respondents, who give their views of what’s tops to consumers.
,Consumers’ fondness for flashy diets, like keto, is disappointing to RDNs like Dr. Joan Salge Blake, Associate Professor at Boston University and author of the textbook Nutrition and You. She even says keto will have similar results in the marketplace with the drastic fat-free diets of the 90’s. Back then, “We saw a plethora of non-fat cookies, (remember Snackwells??), ice cream, and candy products bulging in the supermarket aisles.” Salge Blake predicts, “We are going to see Keto cookies, ice cream, and candy muscling out low-fat goodies down the supermarket aisles.” She reminds us that fat-free doesn’t mean calorie-free and too many calories of any type won’t help America’s waistline.
Salge Blake concluded, “Haven’t we seen this movie before? I think I know the ending.”
Consumers get it right – sometimes
You’ll see from the graphic above that consumers are liking some great foods! Fermented foods are tops – again. Good news for yogurt, kefir, kimchi (pictured), tempeh, and other foods that have the great anti-inflammatory properties fermentation often brings.
Other veterans to the list are:
- Avocados
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Coconut products
- Ancient grains (think farro and amaranth, among many others)
- Exotic fruits (like lychees, horned melons, and dragon fruits)
The Newbies
Consumers are “beet”-ing a path to this delicious veggie and high time. Beets are packed with both nutrients and flavor. They’re also naturally high in nitrates, which can give a little boost to exercise endurance.
Blueberries, a newcomer? Who’d have thought they’d ever been off the list? Low in calories and among the best sources of antioxidants, I’d like to see people popping these somewhere into a meal or snack as often as possible. Fresh or frozen, they’re fantastic.
Disappointingly, kale got bumped from the #10 spot and replaced by plant-based “milks”. The “halo” these beverages have is unfounded and kind of ironic, given that there is also consumer preference for “clean eating”, yet these beverages are pretty low in nutritional content, usually have little or no protein, none of the bevy of nutrients natural to real milk, and the only nutrients they do have are usually added.
Ironically, there is very little of the identifying food in these drinks. Only 3 or 4 almonds, for instance, are in a glass of almond milk. Pretty expensive! The foods these beverages are derived from are fantastic. Eat almonds, rice, oats, and walnuts. But milk is a far better beverage for nutrition. One exception: soy beverages. Soybeans are high in protein and for my patients who are allergic to milk or are vegan, it’s the closest equivalent.
Amy Myrdal Miller, RDN, president of Farmer’s Daughter Consulting and a member of the elite food organization Les Dames d’Escoffier, has mixed feelings about the survey’s results. “I love seeing fermented foods at the top of the list. Fermentation creates so many powerful flavor molecules, which can lead to greater enjoyment of foods. But I hate seeing non-dairy milks. Cow’s milk provides so many essential nutrients in a natural, delicious form.”
Keep in mind, this survey is what RDNs see as the top trends for 2019. Trends aren’t always positive! Facts aren’t always driving consumers’ decisions. Perceived truths are often the drivers, and there is no shortage of myths and misinformation about food and nutrition in the popular media.
As for that other trendy diet consumers liked, intermittent fasting, isn’t that just a formal way of what we used to call, skipping a meal?
To sum up, here’s the complete list of
- Fermented foods, like yogurt
- Avocado
- Seeds
- Ancient Grains
- Exotic fruit, like acai, golden berries
- Blueberries
- Beets
- Nuts
- Coconut products
Now, make your 2019 about #factsnotfears!
