The Future of Nutrition: 5 Nutrition Trends That are Shaping the Industry
Nutrition trends are changing. Nutrition is changing. As consumers become more health-conscious and concerned about the benefits that different foods offer their bodies, they’re making different choices about what to eat.
Trends come and go, but increasingly, they’re overlapping from one year to the next as health-oriented trends grow and expand into new areas.
Here are five nutrition trends that are noticeable in the food industry this year.
1. CBD Edibles
CBD edibles are growing in popularity for people who see the health benefits. Whether they’re looking for a calming influence or pain relief through anti-inflammation properties, edibles are on the rise.
While vaping is popular, it still carries some lung risk because it irritates the walls of the lungs. CBD oil is not that palatable and needs to be consumed in capsule form or used on the skin. However, edibles solve the issues with vaping or oil because they don’t have either lung or taste problems when infused into tasty food.
If you’re interested in the business aspects, then this CBD distributor guide is worth considering to jump onto the rapid growth rates that this sector is currently experiencing.
2. Plant-based Burgers
Rather than being a small segment of the American market, around one-fifth of purchases on food and drink now originates from plant-based sources. This includes meat alternatives with beef substitutes making up almost half the plant-based foods selected.
For example, Impossible Foods are preparing to produce half a million pounds of meat that originates from plant life. They will serve as a supplier to several thousand restaurants across the country. If you’re not convinced, know that these are the same people who came out with the now FDA-approved Bleeding Burger.
As you know plant-based meats are all the rage at the moment, with seemingly every restaurant offering either the Beyond or Impossible burger. There’s been a lot of discussion about how the two of them stack up against the real thing. Erin whose blog specializes in grilling, smoking, and BBQ is a big fan of both the Beyond and Impossible burger and wanted to see how they compared to beef burgers when it came to taste, health, and environmental impact (as well as a variety of other categories). Want to learn what she discovered? Check her in-depth guide to plant-based meats over at Seriously Smoked.
3. Boost that Energy
Healthier diets combined with ones that provide a healthy kick of energy is an interesting combination that’s gaining some market traction. While most people worry about sacrificing taste when making the switch to eat more healthily, few people previously were thinking about combining good food with an energy boost. That’s now changing.
While clearly energy bars have a place in this market, even here there’s more of a drive for a healthier energy bar. More natural snacks that include peas or various nuts (with a warning label) are getting more popular.
4. Healthy Choices with Specific Exclusions
There’s been a clear increasing focus on nutritious food that’s marketed as “free from” something. This might be some of the obvious things like nuts or grains, as well as the growing vegan market too.
A progressively segmented food market includes many items that are now gluten-free or sometimes found to be dairy-free (along with the increasing popularity of soymilk products too). With better awareness of food allergies, shoppers are having to seek out products that exclude what’s causing them (or suspected to be causing) digestive issues. This is leading to an ongoing expansion in available food products in this previously niche market.
However, there’s also a new push for unusual grains that haven’t been available in previous years. For people who don’t have a problem with digesting grains, there’s now buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa to contend with too. Something for everyone.
5. Healthier Snacks
The push for healthier snacks is being sought particularly by millennials who want good food on the go. Providers like Perfect Bar are leading the way in delivering nutritious snack bars that don’t sacrifice taste while avoiding ingredients that are undesirable. Check out this post from our health series to learn more about Eating Healthy On a Budget.
This trend is a growing one as twentysomethings become parents and direct the same interest in healthy snacks towards their offspring too.
What trends are you seeing in the supermarket or health food stores that you didn’t see a year ago? Or, what would you like to see that’s in short supply right now? Let us know.
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I am definitely interested in plant based meat products and actually have plant based crumbles to use in tacos in my freezer right now.
We get the crumbles from Morning Star Farms. They are so good that most people can’t even tell the difference.
thanks for sharing this CBD information. Hope it gets legal all over the world
Me too Lee! I think this is a positive trend!
I love trying all the new plant based burgers. Great article.
Interesting article!
Thank You Sara, I am pleased you found it interesting and thank you for your comment!
I am very interested in Plant-based Burgers. I am happy to see more of them in grocery stores also. Hopefully they will be a better variety soon.
Maryann D., you are obviously a mind reader because those were my exact Thoughts as Well! lol Thank You Very Much For commenting.
Great read, I didn’t no much about future nutrition trends. Thanks for sharing. I need try my recipes according to this.
I am very glad you found the post informative.
I hope th industry treats these trends well. So many companies are trying to screw with good food.
healthy snacks are important and definitely useful to me. I sometimes crave for something sugary but try to limit it
Me too! Good work on avoiding sugary snacks!
I could use some healthier snacks. It’s really those between meals that get you and I tend to eat things that are really sugary because that’s something small and individual that I can buy when I’m out.
I totally relate to your dilemna, as you know this is all part of the product manufacturing marketing plan, Money first, human welfare 10th!
These are all incredible stuff you got here. I have not heard some of them actually. I think it’s going to help a lo of people to be more keen with their health.
Why thank you Hannah,I totally agree with you,This is our kind of helpful post.Health is one of our greatest assets!
Plant based burgers really are catching on. We had a big work party and one of the huge platters was filled with them. I was surprised!
Rosey, those party crashing burgers are a good thing!. Have you tried them?
Plant based burgers are my kinda burgers. This is going to be trend these days.
I am on board with everything but the CBD stuff. My mother died at the age of 62 from drug addiction, and the drug that started it all was marijuana. Yes, I know that there is a difference between the nonpsychoactive properties of CBD and those of cannabis, but as someone whose parents grew and sold pot for a living, and who had streams of potheads entering and exiting our home, I have had enough exposure to its supposed “benefits” to last a lifetime.
Alicia,I am sad to here about your mother.I could never argue your real life experience,your comment slammed into my brain with real passion and Truth, with that being said,I honor and respect your opinion. Bless You Girl!
This is so interesting! We love all the innovations in the industry – especially with CBD.
I am glad you found this post informative,thank you.
Plant based burgers are everywhere nowadays! Even at fast food places! Kind of a good movement!
Stephanie, In my opinion this Is a well camoflouged Trend that will reap Great Reward!, especially with Children!
My daughter is a vegetarian and gf so she loves the plant based burgers!!! We eat pretty healthy but sometimes I slip lol
I like them too,dont worry,The Food Police will never know if you slip up now and then! lol
I believe we will live in a world where animal slaughter is no longer a common practice. Vegan is going mainstream as will lab produced “meat”. Did you know they can “grow” bacon from stem cells now…?
I agree with your projection, as far as the Lab Bacon EEEEWWWW! I feel ill. lol
I am all for more plant based food. Only thing is i heard some bad news about the impossible burger that it could be GMO.
Kiwi, I dig your comment as always!, pardon my ignorance but I have not heard of this potentially EVIL Impossible Burger, although I will research. As you know well, step around any product with GMO in it’s description!
This sounds like good nutrition to me.
Me too Rena, nutrition keeps a changing for the better in my opinion.
Healthy snacks and plant-based burgers are my kind of thing 🙂 I love that there are more and more “healthy” trends.
Mine too, I dont have to guzzle barbecued lard burgers to feel like a man!! lol
It is amazing how food is changing of late and how what we think of as great for our health is every changing. Mind you that is a good thing as we get to learn more.
Well said Sarah, you have crystallized my thoughts again!
I like the sound of healthier snacks and would happily give some of the plant based burgers a go!
Rachel, as you know modern science can pretty much replicate anything, including me and you. lol