How sustainable is a healthier diet?

Even though we’re technically members of that much-maligned millennial age group (those born from 1980-1995), my boyfriend and I spend a lot of time grousing about how we feel very little connection to the younger segment of the demographic. I don’t live in my parents’ basement; I hadn’t heard of half the nominees at February’s Grammy Awards; and I staunchly refuse to look up the definition of “on fleek,” though I’m pretty sure I’ve used it correctly a handful of times—with irony, of course.

That’s why I was intrigued by the seven eater archetypes introduced by FSD’s sister company, Technomic, and why I agree with Technomic’s Director of Consumer Insights Kelly Weikel, who says, “Segmentation by traditional demographic groups is becoming less useful as consumers create their own unique identities and usage patterns based on [diverse] attitudes, beliefs and preferences.” The names are a lot more fun, too. Busy balancers! Affluent socializers! Habitual matures! (OK, maybe that last one isn’t the sexiest, but you get the picture.) If you’re curious about the definitions and how they fit your customers, search “archetypes” on FoodServiceDirector.com for more details.

But there’s no archetype that perfectly fits the clean-eating kick I’m currently attempting. Having reached Day 10 of a 30-day cleanse that eliminates dairy, legumes, refined sugar, gluten, soy and anything covered in Cheetos dust, my most important takeaway is that I’m glad to be living post-Industrial Revolution. Making almost every meal from scratch is difficult enough without the added challenge of plucking my own chickens or patiently waiting for my bell peppers to ripen.

Related:Courting today's 7 key consumer types

My dietary quest also has me increasingly impressed by operators who are doing their best to incorporate more scratch cooking in their kitchens. One popular way they’re accomplishing this is by adding ever-more creative customization stations (thanks, millennials and Gen Z) that place emphasis on fresh produce. As I was combing through responses for this issue’s cover story, The Besties, I was floored by operators’ sheer ingenuity.

It also got me thinking about a different kind of sustainability than the kind I normally write about—that is, whether I would be able to sustain this kind of super-clean eating once my 30 days are up. While my adoration of cheese means dairy will be back on the menu, I don’t think Cheetos will be returning any time soon. Instead, I’ll be taking some inspiration from you, operators. If you can sustain scratch cooking in your large-scale operations, I certainly can in my 25-square-foot kitchen!

Related:The Besties