Spurred by the growing trend of the flexitarian diet in mainstream culture, Green Chef Corp., a Boulder, Colo.-based USDA-certified organic meal kit delivery company, released the “2017 Dietary Fluidity Report.” The results of the independent survey confirmed anecdotal customer behavior showing users were keen to try new diets, empowered by the ease of doing so with meal kits. The report found the majority of Americans (57%) plan to change their diet in 2017 to get healthy, not thin. In fact, getting healthy (57%) far outweighed other common reasons for modifications, including slimming down for an occasion (10%) and medical recommendation (10%).

"The American way of eating is no longer a one-size-fits-all model. Not only are people changing their diets long term, but they'll [also] transform them from week to week," says Michael Joseph, co-founder and CEO. "We suspected dietary fluidity was on the rise, but seeing the sheer volume of people planning to alter their diet was striking."

The report also explored common nutritional programs. The study found a Paleo diet appealed to the most people (20%). This is especially true with younger generations – a quarter of respondents age 18-34 ranked Paleo the regimen they were mostly likely to try, whereas a mere 11% of 55 year old and up respondents selected it. Only 30% of those changing their diet plan to do so by cutting food groups, indicating that Americans are more focused on overall lifestyle changes. For those approaching change by slashing, alcohol was at the top of the list (12%), while lactose and gluten were half as likely to get the axe (6% each).

Keys findings of the study include: 

  • More than half the population (52%) plans to change their diet in 2017.
  • Most people (57%) change their diet to get healthier, not to slim down for an occasion or for medical reasons.
  • Most people don't plan to cut anything from their diet in 2017, but for those slashing, alcohol was at the top of the list (12%), while lactose and gluten were half as likely to get the axe (6% each).
    • Women are less likely to cut something from their diet than men (27% vs 33%).
  • 20% of Americans are most likely to try a Paleo diet in 2017.
  • Americans overwhelmingly believe they can cook well (72% vs. 28%).
  • Americans care most about quality (41%) when it comes to buying food, even over price (30%) or level of difficulty to make (20%).
    • Men are more concerned with quality than women are (46% vs. 36%).
    • Younger generations (18-34 years old) are most concerned with price (42%) over all other factors; all older age groups are most impacted by quality.
  • Americans care more about taste than nutrition when it comes to what they eat (53% vs. 33%).