Changing food choices: the option for high-protein foods and the move away from the Mediterranean diet

The growing importance placed on health and physical well-being by consumers continues to drive the choices of the food industry in favor of offering new products that pander to proclivities toward foods deemed more healthy and able to impact the most coveted body image, that of the lean and athletic body. It is evidenced, thus, a change in food choices and habits, with more attention to the quality and nutrient content of the products consumed, in which protein is assuming increasing importance. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to highlight important changes in eating habits and in particular the increase in the consumption of high-protein foods, attributable to the focus on physical fitness and thinness, resulting in a decreasing adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the progressive loss of its positive impact on health. Methods and Results: This analysis is based on CIRCANA srl data on food consumption trends (change percentage of quantity and value sales) in recent years. Specifically, between January and September 2022 vs. 2021, there was a 21.6% increase in the sale of high-protein products, significantly higher than all the previous ones. Conclusion: The past few years have seen the gradual discovery of new products, at first little-known and niche, which are becoming major players on the national food consumption scene. The trend is toward an growing preference for highprotein foods and diets with the gradual abandonment of the Mediterranean and an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Level of evidence: Level IV, evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention