The number of U.S. consumers who consider healthfulness when purchasing their food and beverages has shown a significant uptick in the past two years, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2014 Food and Health Survey.

Consumer perceptions and behaviors regarding the healthfulness of their diets and level of physical activity are among the survey’s most encouraging findings. While taste and price consistently have been the top two factors that impact consumers’ food and beverage purchases (90% and 73%, respectively), healthfulness in 2014 almost entirely closed the gap with price, rising from 61% of consumers in 2012 to 71% this year, a 10 percentage-point increase.

Certain subpopulations saw greater relative increases than others. Consumers aged 18-34 who cited healthfulness as a driver of food and beverage purchases increased from 55% in 2013 to 66% in 2014, significantly narrowing the gap with other age groups. The nine-point increase among men from 56% last year to 65% this year was a significant gain, as was the increase among those who are not college graduates, 67% of whom reported that their purchasing decisions were impacted by healthfulness, up from 61% in 2013.

“While people’s attitudes about healthfulness in their food and beverage purchases and consumption alone don’t necessarily mean we are a healthier country today than we were a year or two ago, it could signal that we are moving in the right direction,” said Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA, senior vice president for nutrition and food safety at the IFIC Foundation. “If perceptions translate into actions, the impact on the health and wellness of our nation could be significant and long-lasting.”

The survey also revealed which nutrients or food components consumers are trying to increase or limit. The components respondents are trying to obtain include: fiber (53%), whole grains (53%), protein (50%), calcium (36%), omega-3 fats (21%), potassium (19%) and probiotics (18%).

Nutrients or components consumers are trying to limit or avoid entirely include: sodium/salt (53%), sugars in general (50%), calories (48 %), fats/oils (29%), caffeine (31%) and mono/polyunsaturated fats (26%).