While foodie trends like sushi burritos and pho may be all the rage, Americans are still loyal to their comfort foods.
What’s going on: A new study published by Treadmill Reviews recently took a look at not only what certain comfort foods are popular, but also broke things down by demographics like location, gender and age.
Regional trends: The study broke down favorites based on regions and states.
- 34 states chose pizza, making it the overwhelming favorite.
- Burgers came in second, winning five states.
- Four states chose mac ’n’ cheese.
- Ice cream won four states.
- Two states (Texas and Hawaii) stated their preference for fried chicken.
- Alabama was the only state to choose chocolate.
Gender: The study also broke down comfort food by gender.
Men’s favorites included:
- Pizza
- Burgers
- Ice cream
- Mexican food
- Mac ’n’ cheese
Women’s favorites included:
- Pizza
- Mac ’n’ cheese
- Ice cream
- Chocolate
- Italian food
Age and portion size: When turning to comfort foods, most baby boomers tend to only eat a single serving.
- Generation X and millennials like to indulge a little more.
- 64 percent of generation X prefer to take a double serving or more.
- 70 percent of millennials also take more than a single serving.
Reasons certain foods bring comfort: The study found three main factors that people consider when picking a favorite comfort food: nostalgia, taste and the overall comfort it brings.
Here are the top five foods based on people’s feelings of nostalgia.
- Chocolate
- Ice cream
- Burger
- Mac ’n’ cheese
- Cookies
Here are the top five foods based on the taste of the food:
- Mexican food
- Mac ’n’ cheese
- Fried chicken
- Pasta
- Pizza
Here are the top five foods based on overall comfort:
- Cookies
- Mexican food
- Pasta
- Chocolate
- Pizza
Read more at Treadmill Reviews.
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