Cyndi's Top Food Trends for 2019

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and are looking forward to the year ahead! The new year is a great time to take stock - to think of all that has gone before and all the exciting things that are to come. Being a real food advocate, for me, this tends to revolve around food! Every year, new ways with food - and even foods themselves - come about. So, here are my top 21 food trends that I predict for the year ahead:

1. Oils ain’t oils

The trend will be away from refined oils like vegetable oil, canola oil, soy oil and cotton seed oil and back to quality cold pressed seed and nut oils including plant-based oils high in omega 3’s and monounsaturated fats like inca inchi, olive, macadamia, almond and avocado.

2. Sea and water-based salts will be replaced with land-based salts

With the pollution of our waterways with pesticides and herbicides and the amount of micro plastics in the ocean - and the contamination of salts now with these pollutants - the trend will be to use salts that are more land based and less polluted. Himalayan salt and Peruvian Andes salt will become more of a focus due to having no contaminants. To add extra iodine to the salt, seaweed sourced from cleaner waters will be added.

3. Fish oils high in omega 3 will be replaced with seed oils high in omega 3

The fish industry is overfishing oceans and waterways and our oceans are polluted, so omega 3’s will now start to be sourced from plants. Inca Inchi Seed Oil is a sustainable crop and will become a focus. The oil is 48% omega 3’s and 84% essential oil. It will become the darling of cold pressed oils, not to be taken as a pill but to be used as a food via pesto, salad dressings, mayonnaise and much more.

4. Synthetic supplements will be replaced with real food powders

The supplement industry, for the most part, is made up of synthetic vitamins and mined minerals; there is not a lot of science behind how much we absorb let alone use. To add to the supplement problem many tablets and capsules have fillers, contaminants, free flowing agents, binders, enteric coatings and much more. The trend will be to eat good quality nutritious foods and supplement a whole food diet with real food powders high in vitamins and minerals. Eg. Camu Camu (Vitamin C), Greens (vitamins) Probiotics (available vitamins, minerals with pre and probiotics).

5. Food safety will become a priority

The amount of pesticides and herbicides used in food agriculture is growing. Chemicals are not only used pre-planting, but during growing and then pre-harvest. If the food is stored, more chemicals are used. Organic and chemical free foods will become more sought after. Australian pesticide residue testing tests for many pesticides but fails to test for the most sprayed herbicide of all – glyphosate. People will become educated about what these hidden additives do to the health of humans and begin to seek out alternatives from local farmers and fresh food markets.

6. The one ingredient pantry will become a reality

The regulations and policies that are meant to protect the consumer from added chemicals in their foods in the way of flavours, colours, preservatives and emulsifiers are more likely to appease the food manufacturer than the consumer. Consumers will become warier of additives and start buying single ingredients to fill their pantries and fridges. And then, with those ingredients, getting back into the kitchen to feed and nourish the family to heal a nation.

7. Less packaging will become the mantra

A distrust of packaged foods, including the dyes on the packaging, the BPA lining on tins, the types of plastic used and other chemicals that are used in packaging, will begin to come to the forefront of the educated shopper’s awareness. FSANZ tests for these chemicals in our foods that leach from the chemicals used in packaging and are finding these chemicals in packaged food. This will encourage shoppers to find the item that has the least packaging and is thus the safest.

8. Animal products – free range and organic vs free range

Animal activism and animal rights will grow. While some will become vegans, others will become particular about how their animals are treated, what they are fed and that they are free from chemicals that may be in their feed or on the grass they eat. Not only will grass fed be a priority, but grass fed and organic will remain a continuing trend. Animal products like organic, free range, grass fed gelatin, eggs and dairy will be in demand.

9. Quality chocolate

No one is going to give up chocolate, but the slick European brands with their GMO emulsifiers and added flavours and colours will become a thing of the past. Instead, they will be replaced with products from the artisan local chocolate maker where only whole and real ingredients will be used. Alternatively, people will begin to make their own chocolate using organic whole cacao and organic rapadura sugar, creating their own flavours with real foods. 100% chocolate will be like black coffee, for the discerning taste buds.

10. Sugar will make a comeback

Quality will be something that will bring back foods that may have been dismissed. Sugar has become the root of all evil. Remember when that was salt and then fat? It’s not so much about fat, salt and sugar but the quality of the food that is eaten. Mothers love to make cakes, muffins, cookies and other treats for their children; it’s something that has been done for multiple generations. Using quality ingredients including an organic good quality sugar for treats will be seen as a health conscious move. Health conscious people will not be fooled by wheat-based sugars, like glucose and dextrose, nor corn-based sugars like fructose and high fructose corn syrup, nor artificial sweeteners - instead they will go back to the old-fashioned unrefined foods like Rapadura Sugar.

11. Minerals will become king

The body needs minerals for enzymes to drive biochemical reactions to run the body and thus give us energy that drives everything in the body. Many of our soils are lacking in minerals or the plants struggle to pull minerals out of the soil due to the pervasive use of Roundup (which kills the soil’s ecology). Therefore, minerals from ancient plants (rather than mines) will be used to help in the hiatus while our soils become populated again with their correct ecology. Minerals pulled from ancient plant deposits, along with fulvic and humic acids will be the saviour for the time.

12. What’s With Wheat

Organic ancient wheats will become a big hit. With the increase in coeliac disease, gluten sensitivity, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and wheat allergies, people will begin to question the new hybrid wheat as well as the modern agricultural practices that have allowed the presence of many herbicides and pesticides in the grain. Organic Emmer Wheat and Organic Einkorn Wheat will be something people seek out in order to make their own breads. We may even find artisan bakers starting a revolution with these ancient wheats.

13. Organic spices will not be a luxury but a must

Spices are not just for flavouring but for health; many have medicinal properties. For example, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, cinnamon helps with the digestion and use of sugar, and pepper enhances many spices properties. Making sure that our spices are organic and free from pesticide and herbicide residue will be prominent in the minds of the health conscious consumer.

14. Pollination of dates will make the spotlight

People who have an issue with wheat either diagnosed or not will realise that dates may not be their friend. The pollination of dates will come into the spotlight. Many date plantations use wheat and pollen together to pollinate the trees. This wheat then contaminates the fruit (date). Savvy consumers will seek out dates that are clearly wheat free and not contaminated by the pollination process.

15. Tea ceremonies will become nightly health routines

Organic medicinal teas will increase the popularity of the nightly tea ceremony. The sophistication of science has proven the value of herbs and steeping those herbs to release their medicinal properties. Consumers will be looking for tea mixes that not only taste good but have a direct effect on the health of the body. Herbs for the heart, herbs for decreasing inflammation, herbs for memory and herbs for sleeping will make a surprising comeback for the nightly tea ceremony.

16. Animal-based protein powders will decrease in favour and plant-based ones will become the flavour of the day

Milk-based proteins filled with additives, flavours, artificial sweeteners and other dubious ingredients will be replaced with more simple plant-based proteins. The health conscious consumer will look for the least processed and most easily digested. Plant-based proteins without the words isolate or concentrate will be sought out by the educated. Inca inchi protein and hemp-based proteins by themselves will be part of the routine for the morning smoothie maker. Those in a hurry will look for these protein powders mixed with real ingredients.

17. Coconut oil will still be a health food

Despite some authorities trying to convince the consumer that coconut oil is poison, the savvy and educated will know that it is the vegetable oil industry that is behind the push to stop the growth in coconut oil sales. Coconut oil has been eaten by Pacific Islanders for thousands of generations. It is used both on the body and consumed. Coconut cream, milk, meat and oil will continue to be part of a healthy diet. Consumers will demand organic and the least processed coconut oil to be a part of their pantry items.

18. Fermented foods will be seen as more powerful by the general public than pill-based probiotics

We will see an increase in fermented foods in the grocery store as well as cookbooks teaching how to ferment. For those who want it all done for them, dried fermented foods will be something to add to the morning smoothie as opposed to taking a tablespoon of sauerkraut.

19. The value of broth becomes mainstream

It’s a well known fact that broth has been a part of the diet for many generations, yet the science is only just emerging that tells us the benefits of broth. It has the ability to increase number and variety of the vital group of organisms in the gut called bacteroides. We live such fast-paced lives that it’s not always possible to find organic, free range bones and make up our own. The value of concentrates and dried broths will become a quick fix for the time poor. There are many broths entering the market, many not what they seem. The drying process must be void of the addition of maltodextrin (this will not be on the label) and the addition of flavours, dried yeast and powders will not be tolerated by those trying to get well and stay well.

20. The healthy sweet treat

Reading the ingredients on labels rather than the nutritional panel will be the 2019 focus. Ingredients tell you a lot about a packaged food. Many sweet and savoury treats have ingredients as long as your arm; the new trend will be to find a sweet or savoury treat with the least amount of ingredients, making sure they are all whole ingredients, too. An example of this is the Caramelised Inca Inchi Seed with Rapadura Sugar and Himalayan Salt - all organic and very tasty.

21. Seeking out organic super foods

A food may be termed super but it may not be farmed in the principles of organic agriculture. More and more people will begin to call the companies and ask for their agricultural practices. Chia seeds have become popular; there is a huge market for them and so non-organic practices for farming this nutrient-packed seed are more often than not the norm. Certified organic chia will be something that will be sought more, pushing non-organic farmers to change. Is there anything you'd like to add to this list? Please share in the comments below!