Millennial and Gen Z consumers are moving away from rules-based diets and prioritizing holistic, personalized eating habits that focus on real foods with functional attributes, according to food industry experts at data analytics firm Spins.
Spins retail experts said consumers are increasingly searching for foods that offer benefits and deliver on taste, during a recent webinar, “2026 Market Report and Trend Predictions: Consumer Preferences With Staying Power.”
They also are more likely to avoid products that contain artificial ingredients and sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, according to Spins. Wearable health technology, social media and health-focused smartphone apps also are reinventing how younger consumers approach dieting.
A new market of dieters
The future of dieting and eating styles is focused on Gen Z and Millennials as their influence takes greater hold in the market, according to Jessica Maniscalco, Spins director of Retail Partners.
Maniscalco explained that Gen Z and Millennial shoppers made up about a third of unit sales in 2025.
Millennials drove roughly 30% of those sales and 6% of market growth, and Gen Z, while making up a much smaller percentage of unit sales, drove 20% of overall growth, she said.
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These younger consumers are the most budget conscious, but they’re also focused on health, Maniscalco said.
“In stores, they’re seeking things like salad kits, meal kits, instant soups and performance drinks,” she said.
Technology and personalization
Technology also is dramatically reshaping the way consumers eat, Spins research found.
“We have apps and we have wearable devices that are helping us track our nutrition. They monitor our fitness and help us make more informed choices,” according to Maniscalco.
Calling personalization the “new norm,” she said online grocery shopping and meal delivery services also are reimagining consumers’ access to food.
“Technology affects not just what we eat, but how we eat, when we eat and why we eat,” she said.
The growing popularity of wearable technology and personalized health data via apps offers lucrative opportunities across the food industry, according to Spins Senior Data Analyst for Product Intelligence Jacob Knepper.
The new technologies help consumers customize their purchases to individualized health goals and plans, he said.
Gen Z and Millennials also are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to help guide them toward their health goals.
Spins’ “2026 Health Trend Predictions” report revealed that 15% are using AI to research products, and 11% said AI chatbots are their go-to discovery method for learning about products.
Shift away from ‘diet tribes’
Younger shoppers also are shifting away from rules-based dieting and looking for “whole-ingredient, real foods,” according to Maniscalco.
The trend is hurting some dieting regimens and helping others, she said.
“Things like Paleo that aren’t so restrictive in terms of counting specific macros or calories or things like that, certainly still have a lot of traction in the market,” she said.
On the other hand, diets like Keto, which has relatively strict rules on consumption levels, are becoming less popular, she said.
The Mediterranean Diet, which focuses on real foods, is “thriving in the marketplace,” according to Maniscalco.
Gen Z and Millennial consumers are searching for protein, low-carb and gluten-free options to support digestive health, she said.
“Almost 60% of younger shoppers are seeking a diet that’s higher in protein,” she said. “Across categories, products like high-protein yogurts and milk-based drinkables, often containing 15, 20 or even more grams of protein per serving, continue to perform strongly.”
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Some trending products include whole pumpkin (up 12% year over year), whole kale (up 9%) and whole sweet potato (up 6%), according to Spins’ Health Trends Predictions report.
Younger shoppers also are trying to cut unhealthy products and ingredients out of their diets. The top items on the chopping block include high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols and artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, according to Spins.
