2015 Health Food Trends – My Prediction

Well here we are… HELLO 2015! Last year, Australian bush foods, gluten-free products, the Paleo diet, cauliflower, local foods, food-based supplements and fermented foods were all the rage. Although these trends will kick on, here are a few of my healthy food predictions for 2015:

1. Mindful Eating – This year, I believe (and hope) people will be mastering the art of this guilt-free, non-dieting approach to food.
2. Plant-based diets – Thanks to celebrity endorsements, widely-reported health benefits and a greater availability of vegan foods, the meat and dairy-free diet has gone mainstream. I believe veganism and vegetarianism will be even more popular in 2015.
3. Artisan producers – For those that choose NOT to adopt a trendy plant-based diet, I believe there will be plenty of choice if you’re looking for some gourmet meaty treats! Artisan producers offer ethically-raised, pasture fed, local and sustainable produce. Move over kale smoothies… venison salami is in the house!
4. Sprouted breads –The sprouted grain process involves soaking the grains in water until they begin to grow a sprout. This encourages the production of natural enzymes, lowers the starch level (and thus lowers the glycaemic load), and increases the nutrient bio-availability. Basically, nutrients are absorbed immediately into the body, and are not lost in the digestive process. Sprouted breads will gain more attention in 2015.
5. Bone Broth – Mineral-rich bone broth, the simplest meat-and-vegetable stock, is officially the soup craze du jour. Bone broth has been super popular in the Paleo world for years, but it’s now gaining mainstream popularity.
6. Healthy fast food options – McDonald’s has opened a hipster cafe called The Corner in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Camperdown. Multinationals such as McDonalds recognise that people are seeking quinoa salads, cold-pressed coffee and porridge with poached pear…. instead of fries, burgers and coke. Fast food doesn’t have to be rubbish, and chains such as Zambrero, Grill’d, Paleo Café, Yummia and Nutrition Station will be very popular!
7. Butter – Saturated fats are certainly making a comeback, and foods such as grass-fed, pasture-raised, cultured butter will be in hot demand. I believe there will be a lot more nutrition-seekers than calorie-counters in 2015.
8. Cabbage and Watercress – Cruciferous vegetables are all the rage, and for good reason… their health benefits are wide-ranging. In 2013 kale was in the spotlight, in 2014 it was cauliflower, and in 2015 I believe good old cabbage and watercress will be trending!
9. Fermented foods and drinks – these were big in 2014, but I believe foods such as Labna, Pickles, Kimchi and Sauerkraut; and drinks such as Kefir and Kombucha will be even bigger in 2015. This is a health trend I’m very excited to see gaining such mainstream momentum!
10. Matcha Tea – Haven’t heard of Matcha tea yet? You will. Matcha tea is the dried leaves of green tea ground into a powder. Match is powerful stuff! You can expect to see lots of Matcha available in 2015.

I hope you all have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2015!

Until next time, Stacey

2014 Health Food Trends – My Prediction

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 fibre 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.