Kale, Quinoa, Cacao, Black rice, Coconut, Gluten-free foods, Paleo food plans, and Raw food cafés all ranked pretty high in terms on the health trends I observed in 2013. Although these health trends will kick on, I predict that what is OLD will be NEW again. Ancient grains (such as Amaranth, Quinoa, Spelt, and Freekah) and ancient bush foods will be all the rage.
Here are some trends I expect to see this year…
1. Bush foods
I predict we will see a surge in home-grown native bush foods such as the Kakadu Plum (see above pic), Bee Pollen and Tasmanian bush pepper, which are pretty ‘super’ in terms of their nutrient density. The Kakadu Plum (also called the Gubinge, Billygoat Plum or Murunga) grows natively across Northern Australia. As a single natural food source, the Kakadu Plum contains approximately 100 times the vitamin C concentration of blueberries and oranges, the highest vitamin C concentration of any natural food on the planet. Impressive! This bush fruit has been used for its healing properties by Indigenous people across Arnhem Land for thousands of years.
2. Hemp Seeds
Chia seeds and Flax seeds may be old news compared to Hemp seeds, which contains about 50% more protein, making it a great protein source for vegans and vegetarians. Unfortunately however, hemp seeds contain very little fiber and omega-3 fatty acids when compared to Chia and Flax. As they’re all quite different, if your budget allows, I suggest there’s definitely room for all three of these unique and nutritious seeds in your diet.
3. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is OH SO trendy! This low-carb, low-calorie, affordable and assessable super veggie will continue to shine bright in 2014. Due to its versatility, there’s not much that cauliflower can’t do!
4. Fermented foods
This is another trend which will only continue to grow. It’s not only an ancient practice, but it’s a full blown health movement in its own right. The benefits of having good gut bacteria are now well known, and as such, fermented foods such as Kefir, Kombucha, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickles, Coconut yoghurt, Miso will be hot property.
5. Local food
Although the desire to eat locally sourced food is already very trendy, this is one trend that will continue to grow in popularity into 2014. More and more people want to know where their food is grown, who the farmers are, where their money is going, and what the growing conditions are like. Eating local is good for the local economy, helps reduce your carbon footprint, and is healthier (due to a higher nutrient density and lower levels of contamination). Why wouldn’t you want to buy (or grow) local?
6. Savoury Yoghurt
The yoghurt section is one of the fastest growing sections of the supermarket. With strong growth and increasing competition the yoghurt market is looking for new and more complex flavours…. Tomato flavoured yoghurt anyone?
7. “Healthy” Soft-drinks
Sound like an oxymoron? Global soft-drink manufacturers are jumping on the healthy beverage bandwagon and are enriching soft-drinks with herbs, vitamins and minerals, and are using more natural sweeteners such as Stevia. We’ll see more use of catch phrases such as “sparkling soda”, “organically sourced”, “naturally sweetened”, “zero calorie”. Don’t be fooled people; these drinks are often still far from healthy!
8. Flexitarianism
A flexitarian diet is one that is plant-based with the occasional inclusion of meat products. Basically, it is semi-vegetarianism, and comes from a combination of the words “flexible” and “vegetarian.” This is another trend which I expect to see gaining momentum this year!
I also think that food tourism and food-based supplements will be big!
I hope you all have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2014! Until next time, Stacey.
