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Trends & Insights

Self-care through preventive nutrition

Healthy living is a major focus for the modern consumer. With pressure on healthcare systems, self-care is becoming ever more important, and an aging population is looking to prevention rather than cure. The digital age is also opening up new tools for self-care.

Selfcare Preventive 800X600
Selfcare Preventive 800X600

Nourish to flourish

Preventive nutrition aims to help people live long, healthy lives through nutrition. It involves making dietary changes and lifestyle modifications to increase well-being, energy levels, and disease resistance. 

Preventive nutrition involves adopting eating habits with the aim of preventing or reducing the risk of diseases that affect mobility and cognitive health. 

According to the definition from the World Health Organization, self-care is the behaviors you do to take care of your own health, and it can include hygiene, nutrition, leisure activities, sports, exercise, seeking professional healthcare services when needed, and much more.

How supplements contribute to health and wellbeing

Nutrition plays a crucial role in self-care, as what we eat directly impacts our health and energy levels. A well-balanced and nutritious diet provides essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that support bodily functions, boost the immune system, and promote overall health. 

The fact is that it is not easy to meet nutritional needs through diet alone, and busy lifestyles make sourcing total nutrition very complicated. Some dietary supplements can improve overall health and help manage some health conditions. For instance: Collagen is a type of protein that plays an important role in building and supporting many tissues, from bones and cartilage to skin, hair, eyes, and the digestive system.

Nutritional supplements can be used to correct deficiencies and ensure that you get “enough” micronutrients each day.

Dietary supplements are taken orally and contain one or more ingredients that are intended to supplement one’s diet and improve one’s health. They can be sold variously in tablet, capsule, liquid, powder, chew, gel and gummy formats and more recently in the form of functional or nutritional foods and beverages. The category covers a wealth of different products targeting a multitude of health needs.

Consumers at a glance

It’s not just wanting meds to heal, but also utilizing various sources of nutrition. Food has another role for modern consumers who want to maintain their health.

Nutrition plays an essential role in healing and care after injury or illness, and nutritional support needs to be considered a fundamental part of treatment. Poor nutrition before or during the healing process can delay healing and impair strength. 

Proper nutrition is vital to optimize recovery after endurance exercise. Dietary carbohydrates and proteins help the body replenish energy stores and repair muscle tissue, both of which are essential for quickly restoring muscle function and performance.

Who exactly is consuming supplements?

Supplements are a useful tool for many consumers, with 3 in 4 saying they take them at least occasionally. Millennials are a particularly significant user group, especially for condition-specific supplements. Boomers are least likely to buy overall but over-index in their use of single vitamins/minerals and joint health supplements. Personalized solutions are increasingly important. Supplements are part of consumer strategies to feel well, age well and support both physical and mental health. Among specific health conditions, gut and immune health are consumers’ top two targets. 

Infographic Self Care
Innova Trends Survey 2024

Global sales of supplements topped US$146 billion in 2023, and growth remains strong at over 6% CAGR. The supplements industry is highly fragmented, supporting a diverse range of businesses, from multinationals and specialist firms to health retailers and multi-level marketing operations. Fragmentation is most evident in NPD, with innovative start-ups emerging all the time. (Innova Market Insights 2024)

Infographic Self Care Opportunity V3
Innova Market Insights 2024

Essential building blocks for maintaining health

More and more research has shown that collagen is effective in strengthening and recovering the extracellular matrix and cartilage, which reduces the risk of a musculoskeletal wear or injury.

How does protein help prevent disease?

Protein is also a critical part of the processes that fuel energy and carry oxygen throughout the body in your blood. It also helps make antibodies that fight off infections and illnesses and helps keep cells healthy and create new ones. 

Protein is known to aid weight management but also prevents muscle wasting and aids in maintaining muscle tone. A lack of protein and fat are the main causes of muscle wasting, which also can be caused by the aging process and hormone fluctuations. Muscle structure can be preserved through a combination of nutrition and exercise.

Collagen is a key component in bones, skin, muscles, and other body parts. It may help improve skin health, relieve joint pain, and prevent bone loss, among other things. Collagen is a protein, and many consumers rely on it for wellness and healthy aging

Get on trend

Essentia manufactures a wide range of clean label nutritional ingredients derived from first-rate animal-based raw materials. They are perfect for manufacturers who would like to get in on the rising functional food and beverage demand. 

Let us help you meet your consumer needs

Get in on the rising market that caters to consumers who prefer nutrition for prevention, and general self-care. Co-create with knowledgeable experts in Essentia’s innovation center; to find out how 100 % natural clean label ingredients can elevate your brand. The applications division will work with you to explore the optimal custom solutions that suit your needs, to help find the desired nutritional profile for your products. Learn more by contacting a representative near you.