During 2018 the biggest nutrition trend was plant-based dining. This comes at no surprise to me as I understand the health and environmental benefits of this way of eating and as many of us place greater emphasis on health and longevity it only makes sense that this style of eating is adopted! I am looking forward to seeing what 2019 has to offer in terms of an increase in plant-based offerings and according to Australian Food News, here are some more trends we are most likely to see during 2019 are as follows:
Food as medicine
While this philosophy is practiced by many health foodies currently, during 2019, we are set to see an increase in our consciousness around how our food choices impact our health. This in turn means the plant-based diet trend will not die off any time soon and will in fact strengthen next year.
My verdict: One great aspect of plant-based eating is that everyone can do it, its not a diet based on exclusion. Specifically, this diet doesn’t exclude animal based products, it limits them and adopters of this eating style consume mostly plants animal products in moderation.
Eating the entire plant or animal
Gone are the days when we just cut off the parts of a plant or animal needed and discarded the rest. We are becoming increasingly conscious of making sure to eat root to stem and nose to tail to prevent waste and be more ethnically responsible. Some of us turn our nose up at the thought of eating vegetables leaves and peels or unusual cuts of meats, however, the tides are turning and during 2019 we may see an increase in the use of such unusual parts in mainstream dishes.
My verdict: Again, I am a big advocate of the root to stem and nose to tail philosophy. Eating in this manner cuts down on waste, offers us sources of nutrition, which we would not readily be receiving – this is especially so when it comes to consuming off cuts of meat. Many of us only consume muscle meat which doesn’t offer as much gelatin and collagen and liver offers one of the highest sources of dietary Vitamin A – a fat soluble nutrient/antioxidant often lacking in our diet.
According to Whole Foods Market (USA), some more specific trends we are likely to see include:
- Shelf stable probiotics – building on from the current gut health focus, shelf stable probiotics are more convenient and can more easily be added to foods such as smoothies, nut butters, soups and porridge.
- Keto style foods – fat definitely will not be feared during 2019 and we may see an increase in keto bars using MCT oil and ready to drink bullet proof coffees.
- Increase in hemp products – this year we saw an increase in hemp offerings from seeds and protein powders to oils and during 2019, the versatility of hemp is set to be showcased in a range of different products.
- Faux meat snacks – piggy backing on the plant-based diet trend, we may see an increase in ‘meatless’ meat snacks such as jerky and ‘pork’ rind.
- Marine foods – seaweed is no longer limited to sushi rolls and rice crackers, its now a popular stand alone snack and during 2019, the marine food offerings are set to expand to include more products such as kelp noodles and algae based products.
Sources:
http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2018/10/24/find-out-the-food-trends-for-2019.html
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181115005244/en/Foods-Market-Unveils-Top-10-Food-Trends
