Our team at Glanbia Nutritionals understands the active lifestyle consumer - someone who’s incorporated healthy fitness and nutrition habits into their lives. Active lifestyle consumers aren’t known for following intense workouts or strict diets to maximise body performance. Instead, they focus on good nutrition and regular exercise such as walking, jogging, or hiking as part of their long-term approach to health.
FMCG Gurus estimates 53% of adults falls into this group, evenly distributed across age and gender.1 To support their proactive approach to health, many active consumers are turning to sports nutrition products that offer the health benefits they seek. However, this growing active consumer segment has different nutrition interests than traditional sports nutrition consumers.
Check out our top 2022 nutrition trends for active adults:
1. No- and Low-Sugar Hydration
The proliferation of flavoured waters and unsweetened or lightly sweetened RTD teas and coffees is meeting a key need for healthy, enjoyable hydration. Active adults have fully embraced today’s no- and low-sugar hydration options which come in an endless variety of flavours.
2. Natural Energy Boosters
The demand for energy-boosting products has been growing fast, primarily due to lifestyle disruptions and stress from COVID. While traditional energy drinks address this need for some, active adults tend to prioritise natural sources of energy, which they perceive as healthier.
Natural energy products include teas, coffees, juices, waters, and even bars fortified with natural caffeine sources, such as green tea extract, coffee extract, guarana, and yerba mate. B vitamins are also welcome as they support energy production in the body.
3. Healthy Fats
Another major nutrition trend among active lifestyle consumers is healthy fats. Fat is no longer the enemy—as long as it’s the right type of fat. Fats from sources such as avocado and coconut are considered beneficial and are even being used in decadent products like frozen desserts to boost their health appeal.
Nut butters of all kinds, and now seed butters like sunflower seed and flaxseed butter, also meet this demand. The continued popularity of the keto diet is helping to sustain this interest in healthy fats, particularly coconut oil which is a good source of MCTs.
4. Plant Protein
Any snackable food or beverage containing plant protein is likely to get noticed by the active lifestyle consumer .Besides sports nutrition products like plant-based protein RTDs and bars, active adults are also reaching for plant protein-fortified savoury snacks and breakfast cereals as healthier options that can also provide satiety.
5. Fortified Snacks
Whether the snack of choice is a bar, RTD beverage, or snackable cereal, better-than versions are a clear stand-out to the active lifestyle consumer. Added vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, fibre and protein give active adults snack options they can feel good about. Since the emergence of COVID, consumers are especially interested in foods and beverages fortified with immunity-associated ingredients such as vitamin C, zinc, and botanicals like elderberry. Protein snacks, particularly those that contain plant-based or dairy protein, are appealing to active adults as they not only offer satiety but provide exercise support.
For more nutrition trends and insights visit https://www.glanbianutritionals.com/en/nutri-knowledge-center
1: FMCG Gurus, Overview of the Sports Nutrition Market and the Growth of the Active Nutrition Consumer, October 2021.