By Zoya Gervis // SWNS
The saying is true: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. New research shows that 38% of baby boomers feel they’re too old to change their ways.
A poll of 1,000 millennials and 1,000 baby boomers found that 81% of millennials are more open to change than their baby boomer counterparts.
Things are changing so quickly that two-thirds of millennials say they will be remaking traditional holiday meals, plant-based.
The survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Eat Just, Inc. aimed to uncover how different generations feel about change as the holidays approach and discovered even half of baby boomers say they will prepare at least one plant-based version of a holiday dish this year.
Thirty-one percent of all respondents will be planning for a family member eating more plant-based.
But, 68% of baby boomers say they prefer to follow traditions, generally.
And 39% of baby boomers like to stick closely to traditions when it comes to the holidays.
That’s true for holiday meal time, too. Gathering a variety of different palettes and diets around the same table can be challenging for 42% of baby boomers who say their children eat much differently now compared to when they were young.
When asked about how each generation plans to eat over the holidays, one in five baby boomers says they have absolutely zero plans to eat healthily — compared to 74% of millennials who plan on choosing healthy holiday dishes.
And that is spurring concern for millennials about their parent’s health. Sixty-eight percent of the millennials surveyed say their parents’ diet concerns them.
However, 61% of millennials say their parents simply refuse to change their ways — specifically their diets.
“Finding a common ground between millennials and baby boomers can be a challenge. This holiday season, despite the reluctance for parents to adopt healthier lifestyles, millennials will be serving up healthier versions of traditional holiday dishes — in the hopes of bringing everyone together, even if it is virtually” stated a spokesperson for Eat Just, Inc.
Despite this reluctance to try something new, over half (55%) of all those surveyed say they do indeed plan to change things up this year in some way.
Thirty-nine percent of people plan on having smaller celebrations while a further 34% are getting more involved in the meal preparation and cooking this holiday season.
From cooking different foods than usual and adding new dishes to the holiday menu to spending the holidays solo and not celebrating with the whole family, this holiday season is going to be different.
Results reveal 44% will be making plant-based versions of traditional dishes to accommodate the varying diets and palettes of everyone — with millennials planning on serving up more plant-based dishes than their baby boomer counterparts.
Despite this, 71% of respondents still expect to see certain dishes on the holiday table.
From mashed potatoes (44%) and apple pie (39%) to sweet potatoes (45%) and pecan pie (31%), Americans still want some aspects of traditional holiday meals this year.
“Americans are seeking ways to enjoy their favorite, traditional holiday dishes while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As a result, people will be switching things up with their holiday menus by incorporating more plant-based ingredients into their dishes to accommodate a variety of diets and lifestyles” added a spokesperson for Eat Just, Inc.
