Starting back near the beginning of 2019, there have been a large number of changes in daily life. One of the biggest is how people function in their kitchens.
According to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2020 Food & Health Survey, 85% of Americans have changed not only how they obtain and prepare their food, they’ve also modified their mealtime habits.
Some of these food habit changes are good, healthy choices. Other habits, such as increased snacking, eating when bored, and inconsistent mealtimes, aren’t so great.
Because we have no idea how long the current situation will last, we don’t know if the differences in shopping and eating habits will be a relatively short-term thing or if they will continue and become a long term trend.
In this article, I want to focus on positive trends. The goal here is for you to implement these in your own life. Hopefully you’ll take it one step further and share these items with your family and friends to encourage them to make more positive changes in their own food habits.
1.Healthy snacking- 32% of Americans shared that they are snacking more on fresh produce. Given that you should have 5-7 servings of vegetables a day, snacking can be a good way to get more veggies and less chips or other simple carbs into your diet.
2.Home cooking- 60% of those surveyed claim to be cooking more at home. This is a good way to ensure that everyone is getting whole, real foods and managing serving sizes. This can also be a good opportunity to share healthy recipes with your family.
3.Home baking – Since we started sheltering in place, the demand for flour and yeast rose. Being stuck (and safe) at home has inspired many parents and their children to bake. This is evident on Instagram, as photos of #bananabread and #sourdough starters have become viral with a whopping 5.6 million hashtags combined, as of Nov 21, 2020.
4.Eating together – Up to 41% of people shared that they make communal mealtime a priority now instead of everyone eating individually and/or grabbing meals on the run. It’s also the perfect time to share fun ideas for conversation starters with your loved ones.
5.Decrease in frequency of eating out – More than 80% of US consumers have anxiety about dining in casual and quick-service restaurants. And foot traffic to the quick-service restaurants has continued to decline since the US has declared a national state of emergency.
6.Prioritizing health – Approximately 70% of respondents said they’ve begun to make health and healthy habits a priority since the pandemic started, whether that’s been getting more exercise and sleep and making positive dietary changes.
7.Cooking new family recipes – In an article by New York Post, almost 30% of people mentioned that they have learned how to cook a new family recipe. A further 38 percent of these respondents shared that they’ve been able to enjoy more quality time with their loved ones.
Recipes are part of a family tradition; being able to share them also shares the connections to the generations that came before us, and the culture that the recipe came from.
8.Eating local – Consumers, aside from knowing where their food comes from, are also looking for food to support the local community. And this desire has increased by 430% during the pandemic.
9.Growing your own “victory garden” – More Americans are also learning how to grow their own food and plant their own “victory garden.” Even if it’s simply potted herbs on the kitchen counter, a planter with tomatoes, or a fruit tree, they’re reconnecting with their food at a more basic level.
10.Online shopping for groceries – The online grocery business continues to grow significantly. Estimates are that by 2025, 20% of all grocery dollars will be spent online, with this segment of the market valued at an estimated $100 billion.
Just as food producers and grocery stores work hard to create marketing that entices consumers to buy from brick and mortar businesses, they’re now working equally as hard to grab their share of this growing sector.
I continue to learn about the things food producers, advertisers, restaurants, and grocery stores do to manipulate and confuse you so I can help you stay one step ahead.
Take a moment to look at how your family food culture has changed. Hopefully, from meal preparation to time spent eating together, you’re focused more on food as a communal time to reconnect and nourish together.
As a nutrition professional, I’d love to hear what has changed in your kitchen or your family’s eating habits over the last eight months. I hope you’ll take a moment to share with me.
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