Now that we're almost a fourth of the way through 2018, all sorts of new foods have emerged on grocery store shelves. In particular, innovative healthy food trends are all the buzz that everyone is trying out in a concerted effort to maintain those New Year's resolutions. Whether seen on Instagram, Pinterest, or Buzzfeed, these new healthy food trends are here, and they are here to stay. Take a peek below to discover how you can incorporate healthful foods into your diet in a fun and exciting way in 2018.
1. Golden Milk
Turmeric anything is going mainstream this year. Packed with the powerful medicinal properties of curcumin, research suggests this ingredient may have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Pressed Juicery is open across America from California to New York with Golden Milk costing $8 a bottle. Rebbl golden milk is available at Whole Foods, Sprouts, local health food stores, and on Amazon for less than $5 a bottle.
2. Drinking Soups
Move over, green juice. Drinkable soups are tastier, heartier, just as convenient, and more filling. Packed with organic antioxidant-packed produce, often extracted using High-Pressure Processing (HPP), these drinks are the new hot way to get your five-to-ten servings of produce each day. No need to heat: Just crack open a bottle and enjoy. Drink Zupa offers Whole30-approved soup packages with flavors like cucumber avocado, carrot coconut lime, and cauliflower cashew. A sampler pack of 8 bottles runs for $56 online. Soupure offers a number of gently cooked soups and soup cleanses as well with varieties like pumpkin miso, split pea chlorophyll, and Japanese sweet potato.
3. Buzzed Up Foods
We all love a strong cup of coffee to get us through those tough days, but for those of us who like to chew, there are now caffeinated foods. Sure, you could always down a chocolate bar and hope for a little jolt of caffeine, but there’s currently a whole range of energy-boosting fortified foods to get your fix. Steem Caffeinated Peanut Butter is made of just peanuts, salt, agave, peanut oil, and green coffee extract, delivering 150 mg and 210 calories per two-tablespoon serving. That’s the same as about two cups of coffee! This works great on your morning toast or swirled into oats. Find it at your local natural health food store or online for about $6 per jar. When you don't have time to make breakfast or coffee, grab one of Pamela's Ambition Bars from Amazon or any local natural food store. You'll be getting in 70mg of caffeine, the flavors of your favorite coffee (or matcha!) drink, and a gluten-free, vegan snack.
4. Online Grocery Shopping
Food e-commerce is a huge trend for 2018, as the U.S. online grocery retail is expected to continue its rapid growth. Approximately 25% of U.S. adults purchase food online, and with the Millennial generation, this number will only increase. Thanks to meal delivery subscription services and online markets, such as Daily Harvest and HelloFresh, buying food is made simple, especially with the convenience of mobile devices.
5. Medicinal Mushroom Powder
Fans claim that medicinal mushrooms (like chaga, cordyceps, and reishi), which are packed with antioxidants and vital nutrients like vitamin B, potassium, and iron, can cure everything from high-blood sugar to inflammatory diseases like arthritis. While we’re still waiting on the research, if you love an earthy hit of flavor in the morning, brewing a cup of coffee with a scoop of mushroom powder may be for you. Four Sigmatic offers mushroom coffee, elixirs, hot cocoa, matcha, and much more, making it easy to get your (nutritious) shroom fix. Moon Juice shop offers a Brain Dust, Power Dust, and even a vegan protein powder, each packed with mushroom extract. You can find them on-site in Venice, California, or pick them up online for a pricey $35-42 per bottle.
6. A Spin on Sparkling Water
Hydration just got a whole lot easier with the bubbly beverage trend. These are projected to be the new “it” drink this year, and for good reason. They are more flavorful than plain water and are lower in added sugar than sodas. La Croix started the water revolution with its trendy branding (and amazing product). With no added sugar, sodium, or artificial sweeteners, LaCroix is flavored with natural essential oils from all your favorite fruits. Choose your go-to from flavors like peach, pear, passionfruit, cherry lime, and much more, available at Costco, Whole Foods, and Amazon for about $6 for 12. Yet another type, Spindrift Sparkling Water is for those times you need just a little more flavor. With between 2-15 calories per can and flavored with a squirt of real fruit juice, this is the ultimate low-cal soda swap. Find a case of cucumber, orange mango, raspberry lime, and others in major grocers like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Costco, as well as on Amazon for about $10 for 4.
7. Root to Stem Eating
Food waste is (hopefully) on the decline, and in the effort to continue this progress, nose-to-tail butchery and the vegetable equivalent (using the entire produce, including the stems and leaves) are on the rise. Thanks to unique recipes, foods such as pickled watermelon rinds and broccoli-stem slaw will be popular this year. In addition, plant-based foods that are naturally waste-free, like grapes, will continue to gain traction.
8. Floral Flavors
Who says that flowers can only be in your garden? This year, lavender lattes, rose-flavored everything, bright pink hibiscus teas and elderflower cocktails are going to be a big hit, so get excited for recipes that bloom. And it’s not just for show—When infused in tea or a liquid extract, the gorgeous hibiscus flower in particular contains incredible health properties, lowering high blood pressure, easing stomachaches, and even having the potential to aid in weight loss.