Food fads come and go, but the rise in clean eating and overall better-for-you movement — acan i take zinc with ferrous fumarates well as the decline of heavily processed foodsferro f tab in pregnancy — is here to stay. Consumers are paying extra attention to how the foods they eat play a role in maintaining wellness instead of taking medicapercentage of elemental iron in ferrous gluconatetions to cure what ails them. There’s been growing interest recently in everything from adaptogenic plants, which improve the adrenal system, to the paleo diet as natural and healthy ways to maintain wellness. While these may be on the extreme ends of the healthy eating spectrum, they have some merit. ###About 60% of Americans say they actively make dietary choices to help prevent conditions like obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol, according to Nielsen’s Global Health and Ingredient Sentiment Survey. In the last few years, 26% of consumers say they are drinking more plant-based milks — like almond, coconut or soy — and 21% are eating vegetarian sources of protein, according to Packaged Facts research. Some major food manufacturers are already embracing medical foods in response, including those made by Nestle and Hormel, to promote healthy lifestyles and aid consumers with a variety of conditions.###Other major companies are gobbling up small, entrepreneurial startups that use new-wave ingredients to create and market superfoods with health benefits. Dean’s Food just bought Uncle Matt’s Organics, a maker of probiotic-infused juices. Some of these are made with ashwagandha, an ingredient whose benefits include stress reduction, enhanced memory and muscle recovery. General Mills recently invested $3 million in Purely Elizabeth, which uses Om Mushroom powder to enhance its wellness bars with specific health benefits like increased energy, vitality and immunity.###Consumer lifestyles and eating habits are clearly changing. Even consumers who’d never consider going full-on paleo are increasingly embracing healthy living and eating lifestyles. This is reflected in the kinds of food products seeing growth in conventional grocery aisles: grass-fed meats and daferric sodium edta sdsiry products, coconut oil, stevia, avocados, sweet poferrous fumarate and ferrous sulfatetatoes, and grain-free pasta like zoodles. It will be interesting to see how this trend evolves, but one thing is certain: it’s here to stay.
Paleo may be a fad, but trends toward healthy ingredients are here to stay
