With each new year comes a wave of articles telling consumers the best way to conquer their resolutions. Of course, one of the most prominent resolution-related topics is weight management, and articles like this one from Women’s Health reach the masses with callouts for the best and worst diets. These types of conversations influence consumer perceptions and new product launches every year. In looking at diet trends for 2017, U.S. dairy ingredients can help deliver products that meet the latest consumer demands.

Many of the articles being published are based on a new list of rankings from U.S. News & World Report. The annual list evaluates 38 of the most popular diets and ranks them. Ranking high on this year’s list are the DASH Diet, Weight Watchers, the Mediterranean Diet and the Volumetrics Diet. Each of these recommend the inclusion of dairy for a balanced, complete diet.

We have seen from other popular articles, like this one from Men’s Fitness, that restrictive diets are falling out of fashion in 2017. Consumers don’t want to eliminate certain food groups just to meet dietary requirements, especially if those foods offer resolution-related benefits. Giving consumers the products they need to manage their weight doesn’t mean eliminating the foods they crave, but rather, formulating with the right ingredients.

One necessary ingredient, and common thread among many diets, has been on the rise for years: lean protein. Consumers want protein in their meals, snacks and after workout pick-me-ups. Eating a high-protein diet has been shown to aid in weight management by increasing the feeling of fullness, and, in turn, curbing hunger cravings and contributing to reduced consumption of calories.

In 2016, Moises Torres-Gonzalez, Director of Nutrition Research at the National Dairy Council, spoke on whey protein’s functional flexibility and range of muscle and body composition benefits. Torres-Gonzalez focused on protein quality, explaining that not all protein sources are equally as effective. High-quality, complete proteins contain all the essential and non-essential amino acids the body needs. U.S. whey proteins, which are derived from milk, are some of the highest quality proteins on the market because of the branched-chain amino acids they contain, offering health benefits to consumers of all ages and lifestyles (no matter their fitness level).

Lastly, because convenience never goes out of style and simplicity is often a consideration when determining the best meal plan, proteins from milk can be formulated into products that make weight management less stressful. By combining whey proteins with on-the-go options, like snacks or sport drinks, consumers can get the proper protein intake in less time.

Consumers want nutritious foods and beverages that are portable to rely on when hunger strikes in 2017. These desired functional and health benefits can easily be addressed by the large portfolio of U.S. dairy ingredients.