It seems like every other day there’s a new must-try food flooding your Instagram feed, or a new superfood that will magically cure all of your problems has been discovered. Since we need to try all of these foods to see if they are really worth the hype, I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of the food trends we should expect in 2017 so we can get a head start.
I started by looking at other website’s lists of predictions and seeing which ones showed up the most. After some intense googling sessions, I added some of my own opinions based on articles I have read and foods that I’ve seen popping up lately. Here is my ultimate list of food trends for 2017, so if you want to get ahead of the trend I would start checking these foods out.
1. Wellness Tonics
Get ready to see a lot more drinks like Kombuchas and healing juices in your supermarket. In the last couple years, there has been a shift towards looking to herbs and natural remedies to help cure ailments.
Whether you are tired, hungover, or have the sniffles, you’ll be sure to find a tonic that will cater to your needs at your favorite juice shop or the trendiest grocery store.
2. Bone Broth
Bone broth is not the canned soup you heat up in your dorm room, but rather a super healing and healthy broth. It is made by cooking the bones of the animal (usually chicken or cow) with vegetables and spices. The broth is high in amino acids and collagen, which makes it great for your bones, skin, and hair.
Many restaurants have started selling bone broth concoctions as a drink, making it something that is not necessarily just for soup, but also for sipping. Brodo, a New York City take-out window, has New Yorkers drinking bone broth instead of their afternoon coffee. At Brodo, you can pick from all different broth flavors and customize add-ins.
3. Coconut Everything
If you thought coconut oil and coconut water was all coconut had to offer, then you’re in for a surprise. Coconut is the new superfood that can give you everything from a soy sauce substitute (coconut amnios) to an alternative low-glycemic sugar substitute (coconut sugar). Get ready to see coconut popping up everywhere from food labels, to menus, to beauty products.
4. Turmeric
If you are wondering what turmeric is, it’s a funny looking root that has been used for its anti-inflammatory properties in medicines for hundreds of years. Tumeric has a chemical in it called curcumin that gives it its golden color and also makes it decrease swelling.
Turmeric can be taken in pills, used in food, or even drank as a tea in order to get all of its medicinal benefits.
5. Cannabis Everything
Since several states have legalized marijuana, there has been an increase in exploring all of its uses and benefits. The legal use of cannabidiol or CBD oil has been shown to help in decreasing anxiety, inflammation, and even help with your mood.
Retail brands are looking at how these uses can be sold to consumers. Everything from baked goods to wine is being explored.
6. Collagen
Remember when you were too scared to eat Jell-O because someone told you it was made out of bones? Well it’s also made out of collagen, so get ready to start eating it again. Collagen is the main protein found in animal connective tissue and the most abundant protein in our bodies.
Collagen gives your skin strength and elasticity and keeps you looking young since collagen production naturally slows as we age. Aside from keeping you looking flawless, collagen also functions as the “glue” that holds together our joints and tendons.
Collagen is being added to smoothies, drinks, soups, and even baked goods. The extra protein boost and numerous health benefits have people adding collagen to everything they can to keep them looking young.
7. Bye, Bye, Kale
There was a time when you couldn’t go to a restaurant that didn’t have some type of kale on their menu. This superfood has been exhausted and is being replaced by all new greens. Many chefs are turning to “waste-not” greens, which means those random leaves that you cut off beets, carrots, and turnips are now being utilized.
Different leafy greens like chard, mustard greens, and even seaweed will be stealing the spotlight from kale in the year to come.
8. Flexitarians Are On The Rise
You no longer have to feel constrained to the label of vegan or vegetarian, but now can be a flexitarian. Flexitarian just means maybe one meal you ditch the meat, and the next you order a steak.
With a shift to eating more vegetables and looking to meat alternatives, it is easier to eat plant-based vegetarian meals. However, this doesn’t mean you need to fully commit to becoming a vegetarian or vegan, but now can just dabble in it from time to time.
9. Home Cooked Meals
The DIY era has taken over the kitchen and people are remembering and learning the importance of cooking a meal for themselves and loved ones. With the help of meal services like Blue Apron and Plated, it has become much easier and cheaper to make restaurant quality food at home. Between meal services and the plethora of recipe videos, people will be spending more time in the kitchen and less time out for meals.
10. Vegetables Make a Name for Themselves as the Entree
After years of being seen as nothing more than a bland side dish, veggies are climbing their way to the top and will start making more appearances as entrees. The health movement has already put a spotlight on vegetables, but now that they’ve gained some momentum we will be seeing chefs working with them a lot more and highlighting how vegetables don’t have to be boring, but can actually taste good and be something you want to eat.
11. Nitrogen Ice Cream
This is possibly the coolest way to make ice cream. Nitrogen ice cream shops have slowly been opening up across the country and have proven to be just as delicious, if not better and cooler (no pun intended) than regular ice cream.
Nitrogen ice cream shops usually start with a base, and then you pick your own flavors and add-ins to customize what you want. Everything is then placed in the mixing bowl and nitrogen is added, instantly freezing the base creating ice cream right before your eyes.
Since the liquid nitrogen is so cold, the ice cream freezes almost instantly, causing the ice particles to remain small. The smaller the ice particles, the creamier the ice cream is, and who wouldn’t want that?
12. Knowing Where Your Meat Comes From
First, there was farm-to-table, now there is butcher-to-table. As knowledge of what animals are being fed, how they are being treated, and if they are given antibiotics is becoming more relevant, as people want to know where their meat is coming from.
Since how the animal is raised and what it is fed have numerous health impacts on the people eating it, more and more people want to know if the steak they are eating was out roaming in the pasture eating a grass-fed diet, or if they were stuffed in a barn being fed GMO corn and soy.
#SpoonTip: Check out Butcher Box, a monthly meat subscription box that delivers right to your door. The meat is amazing quality and guaranteed to be 100% grass-fed and antibiotic-free.
13. Dairy-Free Alternatives
Lactose intolerant kids rejoice! More and more dairy-free alternatives are being offered everywhere. Coming from someone who has been lactose-intolerant her whole life, it used to be impossible to find any milk substitute, but now no matter where you go now there seems to be options. Bless you Starbucks for having almond, coconut, and soy milks.
Not only are there more dairy-free milk options, but people are realizing the negative effects dairy has on the human body and finding ways to avoid using it in everyday cooking.
14. Fermented Foods
From Kimchi to Kombucha, fermented foods are starting to pop up everywhere. If you’re wondering why people would ever want to eat something that is fermented, it’s because when food is fermented it forms probiotics. You no longer need to rely on yogurt for you gut health, but can start exploring these different options to get your daily dose of probiotics.
15. Canned Wine
Why wouldn’t someone want a cheaper, more convenient, and portable way to drink wine? Many canned wines have begun to make their way into liquor stores that are as good quality as regular bottled wines. The only difference is that canned wine is easier to travel with, and you no longer need to open a bottle and feel like you have to finish the whole thing—but hey, no one is stopping you.
16. Healthier Kids Meals
The days of Lunchables are soon disappearing as parents and school boards are becoming more aware of the importance of healthy meals for kids. Several schools are implementing healthier school lunches and making sure kids are getting well-rounded meals filled with fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains.
17. Housemade Condiments
It seems like every restaurant you go to has their own housemade ketchup, mustard, pickles, or anything else. Restaurants are focusing more and more on making everything in their kitchen and not relying on store-bought items. This also allows for them to make new and different condiments—think wild blueberry BBQ sauce or spicy jalapeño pickles on your burger.