New Year, new health trends
1. Floral flavors:
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Look for flowers used like herbs in things like lavender lattés and rose-flavored everything. Bright pink hibiscus teas are a hot (and iced) part of the trend, while elderflower is the new MVP (most valuable petal) of cocktails and bubbly drinks.
2. Super powders:
For an energy boost or an alternative to coffee, powders like matcha, maca root and cacao are showing up in mugs everywhere. Ground turmeric powder is still on the rise, the ever-popular spice used in ayurvedic medicine. Smoothie fans are raising a glass to powders like spirulina, kale, herbs and roots for an oh-so-green vibrancy that needs no Instagram filter. Even protein powders are on the rise.
3. Functional mushrooms:
Traditionally used to support wellness as an ingredient in dietary supplements, varieties like reishi, chaga, cordyceps and lion's mane are showing up in bottled drinks, smoothies, teas, coffees and mushroom broths. Body care is hot on this mushroom trend too, so look for a new crop of soaps, hair care and more.
4. Middle eastern influence:
Spices like harissa, cardamom and za'atar are hitting more menus, as well as dishes like shakshuka, grilled halloumi and lamb. Other trending Middle Eastern ingredients include pomegranate, eggplant, cucumber, parsley, mint, tahini, tomato jam and dried fruits.
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5. Transparency 2.0:
GMO transparency is top-of-mind, but shoppers seek out other details, too, such as fair trade certification, responsible production and animal welfare standards. At whole foods market, this plays out in several ways. 1) In January 2018, all canned tuna in Whole Food stores will come from sustainable one-by-one catch methods; 2) in September 2018, labels will provide GMO transparency on all food items in stores; and 3) dishes from whole foods market food bars and venues are now labeled with calorie information.
6. High-tech goes plant-forward:
Plant-based diets and dishes continue to dominate the food world, and now the tech industry has a seat at the table, too. By using science to advance recipes and manipulate plant-based ingredients and proteins, these techniques are creating mind-bending alternatives like "bleeding" vegan burgers or sushi-grade "not-tuna" made from tomatoes.
7. Puffed & popped snacks:
New extrusion methods (ways of processing and combining ingredients), have paved the way for popped cassava chips, puffed pasta bow ties, seaweed fava chips and puffed rice clusters. Good-old-fashioned chips also get an upgrade as part of the trend, with better-for-you bites like jicama, parsnip or brussels sprout crisps.
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8. Tacos come out of their shell:
Tacos are shedding their shell for new kinds of wrappers and fillings too - think seaweed wrappers with poke filling. Classic tacos aren't going anywhere, but greater attention to ingredients is upping their game. One end of the spectrum is hyper-authentic cooking with things like heirloom corn tortillas or classic barbacoa. And thanks to brands like siete, there are grain-free options for paleo fans too.
9. Root-to-stem recipes:
Makes use of the entire fruit or vegetable, including the stems or leaves that are less commonly eaten. Recipes like pickled watermelon rinds, beet-green pesto or broccoli-stem slaw have introduced consumers to new flavors and textures from old favorites.
10. Say cheers to the other bubbly:
Flavored sparkling waters like plant-derived options from sap! (Made with maple and birch) and sparkling cold brew from stumptown will are shaking up a fizzy fix. Shoppers are also toasting mocktail must-haves like topo chico and whole foods markettm lime mint elderflower Italian sparkling mineral water.