2015 is drawing to a close. But the move towards healthier meals shows no signs of slowing.
Indeed, it seems to be picking up speed. The healthy food trend is hardly a single movement; it’s a group of developments all leading towards similar end goals.
So what are the biggest healthy food trends that are picking up speed as the year draws to a close?
Salads and Sprouts – These are hardly a new combination, we know. But, sprouts are cropping up on menus again because they’re ever so good for you. You’ll definitely see them in salads, but there’s something else happening in the salad market too. Individually packaged salads are drawing more customers than hamburgers, is seems. (Okay, not yet, but it’s going there.)
Desserts Slim Down – People want healthy cakes. They want dairy-free frozen desserts. They want smaller, but more satisfying delectable bites. The common thread? Dessert shouldn’t be as gluttonous as it used to be. But, it should definitely satisfy the sweet tooth we all have without overdoing it.
Gluten-Free Everything - We are NOT going to hear the end of this trend anytime soon. Seriously. It started when some people gave up pasta and bread. At that time, almost everyone else stood back in amazement (and questions). But now, everything is gluten-free. You’ll find chip packs with these words printed in huge letters and on every third recipe online. This trend grows and grows and grows. And, you can expect nearly everything to become gluten-free within a decade.
Happier Happy Meals – Millennial parents are concerned about what their children eat. Although they’ll still stop for convenience food because they need to, they’re less likely to choose a burger, fries, and sugary drink to feed their kids. You can expect to see more carrot sticks, apple wedges, and homemade fruit roll-ups in lunches (and on the dinner table) in the next couple of years. This is one of the most powerful trends because it impacts the younger generation in ways we’ve never seen before.
Hotter Hot Sauces – Ohhh yeah baby! Hot sauces are constantly getting hotter. Remember when you battled to find 5000 Scoville in a restaurant? These days, kids tackle those condiments without hesitation. The hottest hot sauces are pushing over a million Scoville now. And, although that’s still for serious chili heads, we’re going to see a lot more capsaicin cropping up on menus. That’s good news because chilies are high in all sorts of vitamins and offer a huge number of healthy benefits.
Which healthy food trend is our favorite?
You already know the answer to that. And yes, we’re definitely working on hotter hot sauces.