Dairy ingredient supplier Fonterra has released research carried out in the U.S. analyzing the purchasing habits and health goals of the tens of thousands of Baby Boomers within the country. This large demographic is looking to maintain healthy and active lifestyles well into the “golden years,” and as a result Boomers are looking to functional beverages, nutritional bars and snacks to do so.
 
Fonterra spent two years investigating the needs of this large and influential consumer block, with a specific focus on the U.S., which has the highest population of “active agers” in the world.
 
Yet, while the U.S. market is the largest market in the world for senior nutrition, it’s also the most polarized, explained Carrie Schroeder, key account manager for nutrition, Fonterra USA, Rosemont, IL. “At the far end of the spectrum we have a large number of ‘unwavering indulgers’ who know they have health issues, but are choosing to ignore them. However, the U.S. also over indexes in people who are already actively looking for solutions and are willing to make real changes to their diet and exercise to achieve health benefits.”
 
In the assessment of more than 600 healthy Americans aged 50-75, 58% of respondents believe that the ability to stay active has a higher impact on their physical health than weight—despite 30% of respondents admitting they currently suffer from weight issues.
 
Consumer Demographics
In its research, Fonterra identified three main consumer segments, which account for 57.2 million consumers. According to the company, these groups represent consumers who are ready to make changes to their daily routine and eating habits in order to remain healthy and active.
 
• Active Seekers: This segment makes up 16% of the Boomer demographic (over indexing vs. global audience), and they are willing to make serious sacrifices for their health. Active Seekers are 60% female, and are highly engaged and knowledgeable in the areas of fitness and nutrition. This group is also the most affluent of the three defined segments.
 
• Health Seekers: Accounting for 22% of the Boomer population, Health Seekers are early followers that are willing to make some dietary changes in return for health benefits, as long as there’s still room for the occasional treat. They are 60% female, are engaged in health and enjoy physical activity, and have a good knowledge of nutrition.
 
• Open-Minded Moderates: Fonterra found this group to be the mainstream mass audience and 20% of all Boomers. They are followers, are fairly health conscious, but often lack the resolve to maintain healthy habits. In general, this group tries to eat well, but doesn’t always achieve their nutrition goals. They are 58% female, and the least likely group to be retired.
 
Protein: A Simple Solution for Sustained Health
Fonterra’s survey respondents reported that stamina, physical strength and energy levels were the top three health areas in which they experienced declines over the past five years. In response, one out of six Boomers said they’d be willing to make a major change in their habits to improve their health, while almost a quarter of those surveyed said they would be unwilling to make such changes for health benefits.
 
Fonterra USA’s Ms. Schroeder defined several ways incorporating dairy protein in the diet of these active agers could improve their health and lifestyle, without drastically altering their daily routines.
 
“What you have to keep in mind is that people have their routines. Sometimes asking people to step outside their everyday routine can be a really big ask. Successful change is usually gradual,” explained Ms. Schroeder. 
 
With this in mind, adding a product like protein powder to some meals throughout the day could make a big impact without much effort from users. Ms. Schroeder noted, “You can take it and sprinkle it over your oatmeal or cereal, or you can add it to your milk or water, or make a smoothie with it.” Further, incorporating protein into the diet through functional foods like nutrition bars, enriched cereals or protein rich beverages could be another easy way for Boomers to make protein a priority in their diet.
 
By simply consuming more protein, Boomers can improve their health in a variety of ways, she explained. For starters, the satiety—or the feeling of being full—which protein provides has become a popular way to help those looking to manage their weight. Additionally, it is crucial in the growth and maintenance of healthy muscle. “Dairy protein, specifically, whey protein, has high levels of branched chain amino acids, which are very fast acting because they get absorbed through the blood stream very quickly. Therefore, with the consumption of dairy protein, specifically whey protein, along with moderate levels of exercise—be it biking, walking or light resistance training—can help to build and sustain muscle mass over time,” said Ms. Schroeder. “In addition, muscle is a metabolically active tissue so feeding your muscles protein coupled with staying active helps to keep your muscles healthy and support weight management.”
 
30- 30-30
So in order to achieve the beneficial effects of a protein rich diet, how much should one actually be consuming? According to Ms. Schroeder, an easy rule of thumb is “30-30-30,” or “30 grams of mixed protein at breakfast, 30 grams at lunch and 30 grams at dinner.” The reason she stressed the “magic number” of 30 grams of mixed protein, is that if one consumes “something like a glass of milk and a chicken sandwich, you are very likely to get the sufficient amount of protein, and specifically the branched chain amino acid leucine, which will trigger muscle synthesis.”
 
Most importantly, she underlined the importance of maintaining this level of high quality protein at consistent levels throughout the day. Often, dinnertime offers more protein rich meals, while many find their breakfast and lunch choices lacking in sufficient protein, she noted. Consuming 30 grams of protein with each meal will deliver enough leucine to trigger the body to begin the process of muscle synthesis. “The ideal is to enable your body to build muscle throughout the day which is how you can really see the biggest impact,” she said.
 
Maintaining healthy muscle mass is key to maintaining health into the golden years of the Baby Boomer’s life span, which is what dairy protein brings to the table, said Ms. Schroeder. “As people age you want to be able to do the same things you’ve been doing throughout your life. You want to be able to do the things that you did 10 years ago. You want to be able to play with your grandchildren the way that you played with your own children. You want to be able to go for bike rides and go running.” With this in mind, some simple dietary adjustments can go a long way.