---
title: "When it comes to food ingredients, health-oriented eaters have a list they avoid"
description: "The United States is a nation divided when it comes to food, and Americans’ food preferences are especially evident in what they don’t eat. "
date: "2018-11-21"
authors:
  - name: "Isadora Milanez"
    job_title: "Former Intern"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/isadora-milanez/"
  - name: "Meg Hefferon"
    job_title: "Former Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/meg-hefferon/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/11/21/when-it-comes-to-food-ingredients-health-oriented-eaters-have-a-list-they-avoid/"
categories:
  - "Comparison of Generations"
  - "Food Science"
  - "Health Policy"
  - "Leisure"
  - "Lifestyle"
  - "Medicine & Health"
---

# When it comes to food ingredients, health-oriented eaters have a list they avoid

The United States is a nation divided when it comes to food. About half of U.S. adults (49%) are “health-oriented eaters” who say that they choose foods all or more than half the time because they are healthy and nutritious. The other half (51%) are less focused on healthy foods, saying they select foods because of their health and nutritional value about half the time or less, according to a [recent Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/19/public-perspectives-on-food-risks/#most-americans-say-they-watch-their-intake-of-at-least-one-of-10-food-ingredients).

![Health-oriented eaters are more likely to opt out of these food ingredients](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FT_18.11.20_HealthyFoods_more-likely-to-opt-out-ingredients.png?w=310)

Americans’ food preferences are especially evident in what they *don’t* eat. When asked how frequently they limit consumption of foods (based on a list of 10 items), those who choose foods because they are healthy and nutritious ruled out, on average, 3.5 ingredients. By contrast, people less health-oriented in their eating restrict an average of only 1.8 of these ingredients from their diets.

About half of health-conscious eaters say they limit their intake of artificial sweeteners (53%), compared with 36% of the less health-oriented. Similarly, health-oriented eaters are more likely than their less health-conscious counterparts to limit consumption of sugar (51% vs. 26%), artificial preservatives (47% vs. 20%) and a host of other ingredients that includes artificial coloring, dairy and gluten.

![Health-oriented eaters fill their plate with more organics](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FT_18.11.20_HealthyFoods_fill-plate-with-organics.png?w=309)

Health-oriented eaters also report eating larger shares of organic foods, which by design [exclude certain food ingredients](https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means), including artificial preservatives, flavors and colors, as well as genetically modified ingredients. A slight majority (56%) of health-oriented eaters say most or some of what they eat is organic, compared with 22% of those who are less health-oriented.

![Baby Boomers are more inclined to choose healthy and nutritious food](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FT_18.11.20_HealthyFoods_baby-boomers-more-inclined.png?w=310)

Who comprises the ranks of these health-oriented eaters? They are more likely to be [Baby Boomers than Millennials](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/). Some 56% of those in the Baby Boomer or older generations say they pick foods because they are healthy and nutritious at least more than half of the time, compared with 43% of Millennials.

Americans with higher family incomes also stand out as more likely to make health-oriented food choices. Among those whose family income is $100,000 or higher, 58% say they choose foods based on health and nutrition more than half of the time or always, compared with 45% of those with incomes less than $30,000. And larger shares of women than men are health-oriented eaters (52% vs. 45%).