What's healthy: Trendiest trends of 2020
By- Lifestyle Food
Lifestyle Food Magazine has conducted a survey to measure “consumer perceptions and behavior” relating to a healthy lifestyle & food trends for 2020.
The data highlights the latest ingredients, innovative cooking techniques and newest culinary ideas from the food and beverage industry.
Natural botanicals
According to LSF, the demand for edible flowers like wild sorrel, juniper, maple blossoms, and balsam, which add a delicate and unique sweetness to the food, is expected to rise in 2020. These edible florets provide a distinct flavor, color and added functional benefits.
Tartness
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that sour fare stimulates digestion, improves circulation, boosts energy, strengthens the heart, sharpens the senses and nourishes the vital tissues. While Sour foods are growing in popularity because they are not: sweet. Sour flavors have gained acclaim —particularly with the popularity of Thai food, vinegar, tamarind, switchels (a blend of apple cider vinegar, water, sweeteners and sometimes spices), shrubs, sour beers, vinegar drinks, kefir, and sour whey drinks.
Desseralité
“Desseralité is a mixture of dessert and naturalité,”
The purpose of “Desseralité product” is to put its taste and rawness forward. Desseralité is about bringing the sugar out of the fruit – today, sugar is used as a seasoning.
Minimalists are looking for minimally processed foods, making Desseralité an obvious choice, but in dessert form without the excessive use of dough, cream, and sugar.
Vietnamese cuisine
Generation Z and minerals are inclined towards an Asia-inspired food kick, and they are looking beyond mainstream dishes. They’re moving towards other Asian treasures like the Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese salads and soups are full of Vitamins E and A, thanks to the fresh herbs, spices, plenty of veggies and lean protein. Vietnamese food is flavored with herbs and spices (instead of oil or dairy) and is packed with fresh fruit and vegetable. Most of the authentic dishes, dressings, and sauces that you’ll find in restaurants are low in calories and fat like banh mi sandwiches and pho.
Wood-fire cooking
Wood-fire has been popular for centuries across the world, and it remains popular till today. There are many reasons it remains popular, and they include the quick cooking times, the fantastic flavors and the charcoal aroma. 2020 is expected to be the year where chefs around the globe will rediscover the magic of grilling food over a wood fire.
Edible packaging
Edible packing materials are in demand. Most of the packing materials are biodegradable and may dissolve in water. These are generally made from starch. While these are nontoxic, the same might not be said for the packaging lines that pack items for shipment and the items packaged. According to the LSF survey, conscious consumers are looking for green products that do not harm the mother Earth and are an alternative to plastic. Brands that will win in this space are the ones who adopt green and ethical practices according to the LOHAS demand and preferences.
The Power of Indigenous Diets
It’s no surprise that we usually do notice the “migration effect,” as well as the ‘effects of modernization’ on populations that have never left their quaint villages. This effect is explored by finding the “authentic” recipes to see how they have changed over generations. The source of their food was local, natural, and unprocessed. And there you have the power of indigenous diets.
IN 2020 many star restaurants around the globe would be seeking traditional indigenous ingredients from some of the oldest civilizations. They are searching for the strong influences of superfoods like quinoa, cucuaco, cassava, bijao leaves, Cocona, acaï, aguaje, and maracuya to name a few!
West African Cuisine
The West African region, made up of 16 nations, might just be the new “it” cuisine. West African diet is heavy on starch, light on meat, generous with fat and commonly cooked together in one pot. You’re likely to spot ancient African ingredients in 2020 like fonio, teff, and millet as well as superfoods like moringa, Amaranth, Baobab fruit, Hibiscus, Kenkilibaand, and tamarind in more dishes.
Farm-raised and organic raws
People are increasingly looking at foods that are ‘farm-raised’ and ‘organic’, and that will continue to be an important parameter for buyers in the coming year. Apart from these, there’s more to come. Several old practices like – zero-waste cooking and organic kids menu (remember those good ol’ days when children ate farm-fresh veggies!!) are becoming quite trendy.
Flour Power
Fortunately, for those of you avoiding grains, the abundance of flour substitutes is something to embrace! It offers flexibility in terms of various types of recipes you can recreate and it also offers fabulous nutrition. Like the banana flour is immensely loved by the gluten-free eaters. It is also a great source of resistant starch, which is what your good gut bacteria eat.
Alternative flours made from fruits and vegetables will continue to show up in the baking aisle but also look for them in the packaged foods like tortilla chips, doughnuts and the like.
Healthy Sugar Swaps
Eating too much sugar has been linked to several deadly diseases, including obesity, diabetes. “Less harmful” sugars like maple syrup, molasses and honey are much better than regular sugar, but still they should be used sparingly. Other healthy alternatives are Stevia and Yacon syrups. Other easily available options are dates, pomegranates, and coconut
Locavore diet
This diet consists of eating foods that are made with locally grown ingredients or that have been sourced from local farms. This trend is going to gain a huge fan following as it boosts health as well as the local economy.
Non-allergic plant-based Protein
Soybean is one of the most difficult foods for allergic consumers to avoid as it is used in many processed foods. It is thus the classic “hidden allergen”. The food industry is trying to replace it with other protein sources like mung bean, Edamame, lima bean, fava hempseed, avocado, and other plant-based alternatives.
People are discarding all kinds of manipulative cooking methods, even wines are becoming biodynamic. Yes, you read that right. Biodynamic wine is prepared without any acidic or yeast related manipulations with organic vines and is complete “naturally brewed”.
The foodies are not only willing to experiment with different cuisines but want hygiene too. Thus some eateries are trying the ‘open-kitchen concept’. Here the consumers can watch how and where their food is being cooked to make sure about the quality of the edibles. Not only that, the health-conscious eaters are looking for healthier variations like fermented but non-alcoholic drinks.
And all these efforts have paved the path for more and more eco-ethical entrepreneurs who are rushing-in with the newest and most “natural” Ideas. We can conclude that ‘healthy eating’ is the trendiest trend of 2020.
