Survey Reveals 2014’s Top Diet Trends

A survey of more than 500 registered dietitians conducted by nutrition trade magazine Today’s Dietitian and public relations agency Pollock Communications has identified 14 diet, nutrition and food trends that will influence food-purchasing in the year to come.

The trends are as follows:

1. No-wheat diets: Consumers will continue to seek out wheat- or gluten-elimination plans like the Paleo diet, gluten-free or “wheat belly,” despite little evidence that such diets lead to weight loss or better health, aside from those with a clinical disorder or disease relating to wheat or gluten.
2. Ancient grains gain. Despite the popularity of some low-grain diets, ancient grains are back once more in 2014.
3. Kale, coconut and chia seeds. While 32 percent of the dietitians polled predicted greater interest ancient grains, 27 percent said that kale would be a big deal. In the realm of ingredients, 37 percent dietitians pegged coconut oil as a popular addition to recipes, followed by omega-3-, ALA-rich chia seeds (32 percent).
4. Low-fat diets weaken. The dietitians surveyed predicted that low-fat diets would lose a lot of steam in 2014.
5. Promoting MyPlate. Seventy-five percent of the dietitians surveyed said they employed MyPlate to help people eat right.
6. “Health” as a top priority. Ninety-five percent of the dietitians polled said that “health” is important to shoppers, as reflected by the fact that “supermarket dietitian” is the fastest-growing job classification in grocery stores across the county.
7. Celebrity influence. Sixty-six percent of the dietitians surveyed predicted that television doctors would increase the number of diet discussions in 2014, along with more food talk from celebrity trainers and chefs.
8. Healthy by comparison. Consumers are increasingly comparing themselves to recommendations from TV personalities and health-focused shows, according to 34 percent of the dietitians polled. Other ways consumers gauge their health and weight is by looking to friends and family.
9. Nutrition and health bloggers. The dietitians who took part in the survey reported that the topic of nutrition and health increasingly popular on blogs and websites.
10. Misinformation spreads. As much as 67 percent of nutrition information is based on personal beliefs and half-truths rather than published peer-reviewed research, the dietitians in the survey reported, and, 75 percent said there would be a lot more misinformation to sift through in 2014.
11. Eco-conscious foods. About 38 percent of dietitians surveyed said that more shoppers were seeking out local products, and 31 percent reported that that their clients looked for sustainable foods when at the grocery store.
12. Complacency about weight. Noting that the national averages for body weight haven’t changed, 44 percent of dietitians polled said they believed that more consumers were coming to terms with being overweight, rather than actively trying to lose weight.
13. Fruits and veggies first. Most of the dietitians surveyed advised that the most important first step to improve overall health was to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables.
14. Consumers starved for nutrition and diet information. According to 66 percent of the survey’s respondents, consumers’ interest in nutrition and weight loss is poised to grow even more 2014.

“After 15 years working on behalf of dietitians, we know that they truly have their finger on the pulse of all things related to nutrition,” noted Mara Honicker, publisher of Today’s Dietitian, part of Spring City, Pa.-based Great Valley Publishing Co. Inc. “Dietitians are the real nutrition experts, and with about 70,000 dietetic professionals in the U.S., they have great influence on the everyday eating habits and purchasing decisions of people from all regional and economic environments.”

“When it comes to food and nutrition, registered dietitians are the go-to resource for consumers, brands and the media, so it’s important to listen to their predictions,” agreed Louise Pollock, founder and president of New York-based Pollock Communications, an independent, full-service, food, health and wellness public relations agency launched in 1991.