As we say good-bye to 2016 and hello to 2017 in a few days, here are some thoughts about a few of next year’s likely food trends from Specialty Foods:
As we say good-bye to 2016 and hello to 2017 in a few days, here are some thoughts about a few of next year’s likely food trends from Specialty Foods:
Half of the licensed dieticians are predicting that in 2017 we will be less interested in dieting and more interested in mindful eating.
According to The Mayo Clinic, you can lose weight with mindful eating, which “is an effective weight-loss strategy that encourages you to slow down and pay attention to your food, noticing each sip or bite you take. It helps focus your senses on exploring, savoring and tasting your food, and teaches you to follow hunger cues.”
This is how The Mayo Clinic makes it easier:
• Practice acceptance by being aware of critical or judgmental thoughts about food, your eating habits and your body. Concentrate on the moment and accept your body as it is.
• Reserve time for your meal and don’t eat on the run.
• Avoid distractions while eating, such as the TV or your phone. Are you guilty of eating at your desk?
• Appreciate your food that is in front of you.
• Breathe before and during your meal, consciously taking a few deep breaths.
• Use all your senses to fully experience your food and drinks with smelling, recognizing different textures, sounds, colors and tastes.
• Eat small bites and chew slowly. Appreciate that your food fills you up and makes you healthy.
We will be less concerned about GMOs, sustainability and gluten-free because we think food label transparency is making a difference. We also think in the new year, more companies will change their ingredients to healthier choices.
In May, the FDA announced the new nutrition facts for packaged foods. The calories, servings per contain and serving size will be in larger type and highlighted.
Labels will declare the gram amounts of vitamins and minerals.
“Added sugars” will be included on labels and daily values for nutrients will be based on newer scientific evidence from sources such as the Institute of Medicine and the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report.
Consumers will be looking for more sodium-free and sugar-free options in 2017.
As more information about too much salt and sugar is out there, the consumer is looking for less of these two items.
Consumers will be looking for more whole foods instead of processed foods.
More fruits, as well as exotic ones, and vegetables such as kale, nuts, avocados, ancient grains, fermented foods, green tea and salmon will be eaten in 2017.
Prediction: Consumers will switch from juices to wellness tonics.
In 2017, the buyers at Whole Foods are predicting the wellness tonics that contain kava, tulsi (or holy basil), turmeric, apple cider vinegar, medicinal mushrooms and adaptogenic herbs will be popular ingredients for wellness drinks.
Kava can help offset stress, anxiety and disrupted sleep patterns.
Tulsi gives relief from respiratory disorders, can be used for oral care as well as a treatment for fever, asthma, lung disorders, heart disease and stress.
Turmeric is used to make a topical compress in India for muscle strains and injuries. Curcumin in turmeric is an antioxidant and turmeric supplements are being studied for their effectiveness in the treatment of cancer. The anti-inflammatory properties help relieve stress on the body.
Apple cider vinegar soothes digestion, promotes healthy cholesterol levels, can aid in healthy weight loss, has antioxidant properties and improves nutrient absorption.
The five most popular medicinal mushrooms are turkey tails, reishi, zhu ling, lion’s mane and himematsutake. For centuries in Chinese herbal medicine, these mushrooms have been known for their immunological and anti-cancer properties, as well as anti-hypertensive, cholesterol-lowering, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. They also are antioxidants and help with liver protection.
Adaptogenic herbs include ginseng, tulsi, ashwagandha (or Indian ginseng), astragalus root, licorice root, rhodiola (or golden root) and cordycep mushrooms, which include reishi, shiitake and maitake mushrooms.
Adaptogenic herbs keep your stress hormone cortisol, known as the aging hormone, in check. If you have elevated cortisol levels, you could suffer from anxiety, autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, have hormone imbalance, catch cold often, have irritable bowel syndrome, suffer from thyroid problems or are unable to lose weight.
Coconut oil and coconut water will the replaced by coconut flour tortillas.
Coconut flour is gluten-free, and according to the Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, coconut flour can significantly reduce our risk of developing heart disease, lower our cholesterol levels and guard us from cancer and diabetics. A 100-gram serving of coconut flour contains 39 grams of dietary fiber, almost double of wheat bran. By eating foods made with coconut flour, we can obtain the necessary dietary fiber of 25 to 30 grams daily.
Coconut flour retains a large number of its fats. In fact, a 100-gram serving of coconut flour contains 8.7 grams of fat, of which 8 grams are saturated, an essential fat with antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
A 100-gram serving of coconut flour contains 19.3 grams of protein, which is needed for cell repair and growth.
Japanese food will go beyond sushi.
Whole Foods is going to stock up on ponzu, miso, mirin, sesame oil, plum vinegar and seaweed and items that will continue to be popular with consumers.
Pasta will be made with other flours.
You will find pastas made with quinoa, lentils and chickpeas next year as consumers seek more nutritional value in their pasta.
Quinoa is a great source of protein and is gluten-free. It also is high in dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.
Lentil pasta contains 30 percent of your daily folate, 20 percent of your daily thiamine and 26 grams of dietary fiber.
Chickpea pasta contains 14 grams of protein, 8 grams of dietary fiber and only 24 grams of net carbs. It will increase your feelings of fullness and possibly make you lose weight because of it.
Here’s to a healthier new year.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.