A new year brings with it new fads and trends in the world of food and nutrition. While some of the trends of the past have been rooted in evidence, and stuck around for years to come – foods to promote gut health, flexitarian diet – others are more obscure, and fleeting.
This year, we believe we’ll continue to see a focus on sustainable eating, and gut health, with some new and innovative ways of eating added into the mix too.
Here are our predictions for the food and diet trends to take the world by storm in 2021.
1. Environmentally- and Sustainably-Focussed Eating
We’re becoming more aware of the impact of our actions and choices on the environment, and as a result more consumers are determined to change their everyday behaviours to have more of a positive impact on the environment. The growing awareness of our collective impact on the environment has elicited increased demand for companies to demonstrate their sustainability commitment beyond just the end product – responsible sourcing and operating standards are becoming more highly demanded.
We came across these awesome initiatives that are happening already around the world:
- In the US, Cool Food is an initiative that has been developed to help customers identify menu items with a lower carbon footprint.
- Tip Top launched Australian first 100% recycled and recyclable bread tags.
- OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue charity, which collects leftover products and food from restaurants, supermarkets etc and delivers it to the homeless and people in need to minimise food wastage.
- Little Veggie Patch is an Australian company that helps people grow food despite the limited space they may have in the city. The business installs raised garden beds and edible gardens in people’s homes, using recycled crates and heirloom seeds.
2. Postbiotics
Here’s a new P word you’ll need to add to your gut health dictionary!
If you follow us on Instagram you’ve probably heard of prebiotics and probiotics before… and now they’re being joined by postbiotics.
Essentially, postbiotics include all the by-products and chemicals that are produced when microbes (gut bugs) feast on the food you eat. It’s these by-products and chemicals (postbiotics) that are thought to be responsible for many of the beneficial effects we associate with probiotics. While the research is still very much in its early stages, the idea is that you might be able to just take postbiotics, without the need for the actual prebiotics or probiotics.
Because postbiotics are not living, they can be used in many more applications than probiotics – plus, they don’t require refrigeration, making them easier to travel with and store. We’re expecting to see postbiotics being added to food products and supplements this year.
3. Meal kits
Reflecting on 2020, did you cook more from home? For many of us, 2020 taught us that cooking from home can be fun, enjoyable and achievable. However, as life slowly starts to resemble that of pre-ovid, we’re going to be looking for things that can help us to continue to cook healthy meals at home.
Insert meal kits and health food boxes! These are a great time-saving solution as we return to our busy lifestyles, while still allowing you to eat healthily from home.
There are already quite a few different kits available and we expect to see this only increase in 2021. There’s also likely to be a focus on local food, sustainable practices and options that cater to a wide variety of food preferences and diets as this trend continues to grow.
4. Chickpeas
It seems that foods made with chickpeas are going to be on trend in 2021.
We’re not sure about you, but chickpeas are a staple ingredient in our households. We love how versatile they are, and it seems people are forever coming up with even more innovative ways to use this ingredient. The humble chickpea is now being whipped and blitzed into some pretty crazy products over in the US. It surely won’t be too long before we start seeing things like Dessert Hummus, Chickpea Cookie Dough and Chickpea Puffs here in Australia.
One of our favourite Aussie snack brands, the Happy Snack Company took chickpeas to another level this year with their Dark Choc Roasted Chickpea product. We also developed our Chickpea Cookie Dough Blondie, which you can access out in our Flexitarian Cookbook. This cheap and cheerful ingredient is one of our faves, so we’re thrilled it’s here to stay!
5. Flexitarianism
So Flexitarianism isn’t exactly new, but it’s a trend we’re going to see a lot more of this year.
Plant-based foods have skyrocketed in popularity over the last couple of years, owing to research surrounding the benefits of plant foods, and a growing emphasis on sustainability and ethical eating. This year, we may see a shift from the more extreme vegan way of eating towards a flexitarian approach. This approach allows consumers to reduce their intake of meat without eliminating it from their diet entirely. It’s a lot more flexible (as the name suggests!) and can remove the feeling of restriction which many people associate with strict vegan or vegetarian diets.
We’re going to own this one and say that we were definitely early adopters of the flexitarian approach! You can check out our Flexitarian Cookbook here.
6. Immunity foods
Covid-19 was a reminder that looking after our health is of upmost importance. Many people have turned to their diet to try and optimise their health and support their immune system,.
This growing interest in immune health will continue to be a top focus of the health and wellness industry in 2021. Rather than focusing on treating conditions, many consumers will strive to prevent them via a strengthened immune system.
Much more attention will be given to foods thought to support or boost the immune system such as foods that contain vitamin C. The food industry will take notes from the supplement industry by creating products with added nutrients that may support immune function and overall health, such as zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin D.
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Notes
- Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
- Check out our Flexitarian Cookbook for healthy, simple and delicious recipe ideas.
- This article was written by The Biting Truth with input from Emily Smith who is currently doing her internship with The Biting Truth