Nutrition: 8 food trends that we hope stick around…
Food trends come and go, some as quickly as a blink of an eye, but here are 8 food trends that we hope stick around for a LOT longer….
- Smoothies
Smoothies v Juices debate has been going on for a while now and while juices offer many benefits, smoothies, in our mind win out, each time.
Those of you that know us, know that we LOVE our smoothies. And no, we are not talking about the commercially produced, chain store variety – while they look ‘healthy’ and promote themselves as a healthy alternative – the sugar and calorie content of thse smoothies is sky high! Now, you know that we don’t EVER suggest you count calories, but in this instance – by high calories, we just mean that you are not getting enough bang for your buck. In other words, you can do better. Literally.
Smoothies, when constructed properly, can actually replace a meal! How cool is that? They retain all of the fibre of the original fruit and veg. When whipped up in a high speed blender, the fast processing by the blade helps to break down the cellular walls of the vegetables, allowing easier digestion and absorption of the incredible array of the phytonutrients from the produce.
When you make your own, you are in control. Anyway, we digress…. Smoothies are really just such a quick easy, portable way to get your nutrients in, in such a delicious way. They are also such a good vehicle to get in a LOT of nutrients, particularly to start your day, or for those picky eaters who may be adverse to eating too many veges. .
As with any meal of the day – we encourage you to include the following (and if you are having your smoothie in place of a meal – which we do all the time – they are no exception):
- Base your smoothie on liquid – your choice of milk, water or coconut water;
- Pick your fruit and vege combo – limit your fruit intake here to no more than two servings of fruit and always sneak in some veges (it is a great way to help you get closer to your 5 serves for the day);
- Add some good fats (eg avocado, coconut, seeds and nuts, chia seeds, nut butter);
- Include some protein (eg natural unflavoured yoghurt, good quality protein powder, raw egg, silken tofu) and lastly;
- Whole grain carbohydrate (eg soaked oats, cooked quinoa).
There you have a complete meal. If you are just looking for a nutrient boost to your meal, stick to a vege heavy, lighter smoothie for a real energy hit. Want recipes for our current top three smoothies? Click here.
- Nourish bowl
Nourish bowl/ Buddah bowl/ Bliss bowl – whatever way you come at this – we want more! In its simplest form a Nourish bowl is a bowl (duh!) full of a delicious mix of colours, flavours and nutrients that has you buzzing with energy for hours. There is no precise recipe for what makes a perfect nourish bowl and most of the time ours are made out of whatever is on hand – but our simple nutrition tips stand here too – start with at least 3 serves of veges, a serve of protein (2 eggs, a palm-size portion of meat or 1 cup legumes), and then stir through or add some good fat (dressing, oil, cheese or avocado). Now comes the fun part – top with some real goodies – any or all of the following are delish: fermented veges (eg kraut or kimchi), sprouts, bitter greens, dukkah, dulse flakes, capers, fresh herbs, seeds and nuts. Enjoy!
- Quinoa
While quinoa is no longer a new kid on the block, it is certainly one that will be here to stay (in our kitchens at least!). Quinoa (keen-wah) is actually a seed, not a grain (as many think), so it is gluten-free. It is relatively flavourless making it the perfect ingredient to use in dishes as it takes on the flavour of its surrounding – be that sweet or savoury!
Compared to other grains, quinoa has a significant amount of protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and is one of the most complete plant sources of protein. Great, but, how do you use it?!
Our favourite ways to use quinoa are
- For breakfast – OR mixed through some natural yoghurt, mixed berries and topped with our delicious choco-nutty granola (inspired by Sarah Wilson at IQS).
- For lunch – as a base for our Nourish bowl, topped with any vegetables (in the widest range of colours we can manage), some seeds/ nuts and a delicious salad topper like dulse flakes or kraut, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon or lime;
- OR dinner – stirred through roasted vegetables, baby spinach, pomegranate seeds, some feta cheese and some of our powerhouse green dressing ;
- Meat-free meals
Meat-free meals and Meat-free Monday have been gaining a bit of traction around the nutrition world lately. But, what is the benefit of going meat-free and does having one meat-free day per week really make any difference?
Going meat-free is a cheaper way to go healthy, it is more gentle on the environment and it also offers real health benefits. Eating less meat has a protective effect – a US study by the National Cancer Institute of 500,000 people found that those who ate the most red meat daily were 30% more likely to die of ANY cause during a 10 year period than those who ate the least amount of meat.
A plant-based diet which emphasises fruit, veges, grains, beans, legumes and nuts is rich in fibre, vitamins and other nutrients. Choosing a meal based on legumes or plant-based protein is generally low GI and high in dietary fibre and antioxidants, may reduce your risk of bowel cancer and helps to moderate blood-sugar levels.
When cutting out meat, it is important to ensure adequate nutrition by including an alternative source of protein – top sources of non- meat alternatives for protein are eggs, dairy foods, soy products (like tofu), nuts, seeds, legumes, and lentils.
- All things Leafy Green
Leafy greens are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable. Although they come from an enormously wide variety of plants, most share a great deal with each other in nutrition profile.
Leaf vegetables are typically low in fat and calories, high in protein per calorie, dietary fibre, vitamin C, pro-vitamin A carotenoids, folate, manganese and vitamin K. Lots of the good stuff! We literally add leafy greens to everything we eat – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Greens in our smoothies is a brilliant way to get our little ones (who are not particularly fussed on eating bowls of leafy greens) to get their share too. If you haven’t yet got on the green smoothie bandwagon (where have you been!?! Just joking..) – the milder greens to use in your smoothie would be baby spinach, kale, or silverbeet.
6. Matcha
Matcha . What-cha?!? Another hyped-up fizzer or the latest fad? Well no, we don’t think so. It has been around for centuries and has been traditionally consumed as part of a Japanese tea ceremony. Buddhist monks were reaping the benefits of matcha long before it became a fancy buzzword.
Matcha is a form of nutritionally dense green tea. It is 100% pure green tea leaves, stone-ground into a fine powder. Matcha can have the nutritional value of up to 10 cups of regular green tea and up to 137 x the antioxidants of green tea! But, why do we need anti-oxidants again?? Anti-oxidants help boost the immune system and fight cancer causing free radicals in the body.
Matcha tea is also high in Theanine (amino acid) which is what makes you alert without giving you the jitters (like coffee). It creates the same energising effect as coffee without the anxiety and shakes. It also contains lots of other goodies that help to boost the immune system, help you detox and maintain general well-being.
You can enjoy your matcha as a hot tea, with milk as a matcha latte, or as a superfood in just about anything (food, smoothies, even desserts…). What is not to like about that?!
- Sugar free
Whatever way you come at this, and in whatever degree you might decide to pursue it… sugar in our diets needs to be limited! Sugar has no essential nutrients, simply contributes calories and increases dental decay. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends limiting added sugar to less than 10% of total energy to avoid cavities, obesity and chronic illness. On average Australians are eating 3 times the WHO recommended amounts of sugar, every day – and it is likely that a lot of this is hidden sugars.
Sugar is now in everything – even things that are not sweet like crackers, potato chips, tomato sauce (ketchup), and pasta & salad sauces and dressings. Sugar doesn’t fulfil any official definition of ‘addictive’ although once our taste buds become used to sweetness, some people find it extremely hard not to overindulge.
To what degree you might attempt to cut out sugar is TOTALLY up to you – whether you just focus on eliminating refined sugar, all added sugars, or indeed, all forms of sugar – it is best to avoid going to extremes as this can lead to feelings of deprivation… which will prove unsustainable in the long run. Start slowly (like cutting it out of your coffee) and see how you go.
- Spiralised veg
We love love, love our vegetables in every way, shape and form, so have been spiralising our vegetables for a while now, and love how they can be used to create different, but delicious, healthy and nutritious meals.
A spiralizer creates pasta-like strands out of firm vegetables like zucchini, sweet potato and carrots. The ‘noodles’ can be used in a wide variety of recipes and the noodles also provide a low-calorie, nutritious alternative, to pasta – and we are pasta lovers from a long way back – so this was a god-send! Try a ‘pasta’ carbonara with zucchini noodles instead and you will never look back. Spiralised sweet potato in a hot bowl of home ade stock – can make the base for a delicious Vietnamese inspired soup. A delicious home-made pesto is an amazing addition to some spiralised noodles too – served with a piece of steamed salmon – our perfect meal.
If you are looking to up the vege and nutrient content of your diet and you haven’t jumped on the spiralised-vege bandwagon yet, we suggest you do so immediately. A ‘spiraliser’ is easily accessible and can be found at most kitchen shops now. Some supermarkets have taken the hard work out of it for you and now sell already spiralised veges. No excuses!
What other food ‘trends’ have you been loving and hope that they stick around for a while?
We would love to hear from you all and really appreciate your feedback, girls.
Anna & Em xo
