Food trends look at our shopping and dining patterns to predict what will be the hottest fad in the coming year. Some food trends feature a return of old favourites, indulgent heart-stopping ingredients, and others are just down right bizarre. We looked at the food trends of 2017, and we picked out the top 3 healthiest trends that we hope will be here to stay!
1. Vegetarian fare
Consumers are becoming more aware that vegetarian proteins offer a lot of benefits for their health and the environment. Some of the healthiest diets we know of feature vegetarians proteins such as soy and legumes. These diets include those supported by the Canadian Diabetes Association such as the Mediterranean, DASH, and vegetarian diets. Try incorporating some meatless meals into your diet by replacing meat with legumes or soy. For example, you can change regular tacos to a vegetarian version by using firm crumbled tofu instead of ground meat.
2. Leafy greens – and not just kale!
Move over kale, it is time to share the spotlight with all the other healthy leafy greens on the market. Leafy green vegetables are great sources of micronutrients such as vitamins A, E, K, folate, calcium, and magnesium, just to name a few. Think outside of kale, and consider swiss chard, collard greens, rapini, and bok choy for your next salads or stirfrys.
3. Purple food
Have you tried a purple potato? How about purple cauliflower? If not, you are not alone. These purple versions of popular vegetables are sprouting up in farms and supermarkets. We have long known about the power of purple. The colour purple indicates high levels of the anthocyanins, a group of healthy antioxidants that can be important for heart health, cancer prevention, and cognitive function. Add purple to your colourful plate to ensure a healthy and nutritious meal – think eggplants, cabbage, blueberries, plums, and maybe even try a new purple food.
