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It has been an interesting year in the food world to watch grocers and some restaurants take a liking, a reality-based liking, to providing gluten-free foods. The strategy was as much about marketing as it was about honoring requests as more individuals began to understand how gluten-based products were affecting their digestive tract. Now that many have called G-F marketing a mainstream approach, step aside and watch a new darling unfold: Plant-based Diets.

Instead of shrugging me off or giving me the weirdo look, stop and listen. The old world word of choice was VEGAN, but through smart analysis the baggage that term carried with it was replaced with a phrase that seemed to have greater appeal. Yes, there are still plenty of items with the easily tagged V on the label, but the term getting much greater attention is that of plant-based. People who espoused vegetarianism for their whole life seem to have gradually moved in this direction. Anyway, many vegetarians defined their diet with different proteins as in “I’m a vegetarian, but I eat dairy and fish or sometimes, chicken.” It seemed personalized. That seems less true for those who follow the plant-based approach which eliminates dairy all together and strict adherents cut out all animal-based products. Yet, as with vegetarianism, there are numerous products that simulate taste for those who still, for example, want that cream cheese (tofu-based) on their morning bagel.

As we watched the product expansion in the G-F line, so will this particular food emergence continue to grow. When a small, non-chain restaurant readily understands you want your burrito without cheese and answers, “no problem, vegan, right,” you know the impact will spread. When you talk to former vegetarians who switched to the complete elimination of animal byproducts, the one sentence you hear repeatedly is “I feel healthier.” Anecdotal, for sure, but if it works, it works. 

Oprah ran a week of shows about eliminating all animal-based products from your diet. Those who follow what former President Bill Clinton is up to will note that his weight loss has been significant. It is about more than weight-loss that proves to be an attractive factor. The well-recognized book, The China Study spells it out as does research from numerous doctors and medical facilities in terms of helping people lower cholesterol, lessen the likelihood of various diseases,  and be able to live a healthier life.

Will you lose weight or generally be a healthier person without all the additives that regularly get added to food? A note of importance: As with all food selections, look for those with the purest, fewest ingredients. When you can, the rule of five–that’s a good ingredient maximum. No matter your approach, you know what the vitamin and mineral rituals you need to follow. President Clinton begins his day with a protein supplement. Know what you need.

In the meantime, watch the shelves fill with improved selections as plant-based living becomes this year’s G-F darling. No one denies that some diseases command G-F products or that health reasons dictate becoming a Vegan, but those who follow trends will notice an increase in shelf-space for those with a “V.”

Overall, a healthier society with the less is more approach.

Tags: grocers, marketing, restaurants, trends