Are Gen-z the most health-conscious generation?
Eilidh Miller
(Image Credit: Creative Commons)
From Pilates to poached eggs, open any of your social media apps and you’re guaranteed to see some form of wellness content. People, well young people in particular, are obsessed with hopping on the latest diet trends and fitness regimes guaranteed to help you look and feel your best. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself, of course, and with the rise of social media, the sharing of tips and tricks has never been easier. But why are Gen Z so health obsessed and are they healthier than previous generations?
We want wellness!
Recent research conducted by McKinsey revealed that Gen Z are now spending more money on wellness products and services compared to older generations. They are mostly interested in appearance-focused wellness spending, regularly treating themselves to things like yoga classes, mindfulness apps, and therapy sessions. The research also found that fitness is a ‘very high priority’ among young people.
This heightened focus on wellness might come from a growing awareness of the importance of mental and physical health in our lives. Afterall, being healthier can lead to being happier. But the amplification of beauty standards and societal pressures on social media platforms may also be a possible explanation, with young people turning to wellness practices and self-care to meet these standards. Either way, Gen Z are willing to go above and beyond to look, and feel, their best.
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Food or fashion trend?
On top of spending more on wellness products, Gen Z are also eating more healthily. More than half of Gen Z consumers eat at least a partially vegetarian diet and around 29 percent avoid consuming sugar compared to around just 14 percent of millennials.
With social media trends like ‘What I eat in a day’ and ‘Cook dinner with me’, it’s easy to get a good idea of what young people are eating. While fast food still has its place, there’s millions of plant-based, whole-foods, healthy eating accounts, which encourages more people to eat this way.
Glasgow-based dietician, Lesley Reid, said this may simply be due to current diet trends, as ways of eating come in and out of fashion. However, the social-media-ificaiton of food may also be to blame:
“We are food obsessed. Every meal needs to be an event or Instagram ready rather than just a meal… this has changed due to rise of social media and how we get our information and how we like to understand it. We like it presented in short videos”.
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Seeking sobriety
There’s also been a change in drinking habits in Gen Z compared to older generations. While the UK is used to a non-stop rise in the culture of excessive binge drinking, Gen Z may be flattening this curve. So much so that Richard Hughes, head of the Office for Budget Responsibility told the Telegraph that:
“Nowadays, you have to ask whether young people are drinking and smoking enough for us to be collecting alcohol and tobacco duties at the current rate that we are”.
Data has shown that around a third of 18-24 year olds don’t drink at all and those who do seem to treat it as a treat rather than an everyday thing. Young people who do drink usually do so on social occasions or to relax while older generations view alcohol as a regular treat.
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So, Gen Z are putting more time and money into their wellness, are eating better, and are drinking less. Does that make them the healthiest generation yet? Who knows, but making healthier lifestyle choices isn’t something to be laughed at, even if you are only doing it because you saw it on social media.