• December 7, 2010

Older generations -- consumers 55 and up -- generally have the healthiest eating habits, while Gen X, Gen Y and younger Boomers (ages 21 to 54) have the least healthy diets, according to a new NPD Group study.

Age brings health concerns and medical conditions that tend to drive healthier eating, notes NPD. However, four out of five U.S. adults (nearly 170 million people) have diets that need improvement.  The biggest dietary deficiencies are insufficient consumption of fruits, vegetables and dairy products, and over-consumption of total fats (the last is particularly risky for older adults).

Poor diets are a matter of practice more than ignorance, it seems. Consumers across generations define healthy eating consistently and understand that a healthy lifestyle consists of exercising regularly, eating well-balanced meals, eating all foods in moderation, limiting/avoiding foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and drinking at least eight glasses of water per day, finds the "Healthy Eating Strategies by Generation" study.

Food manufacturers' biggest challenge isn't educating consumers about nutrition, but successfully connecting a product benefit with one of those healthy eating characteristics, observes NPD director of product development Dori Hickey, who authored the report.