It's mid-Jan and you're finally hitting your stride in 2016. You're getting to the gym a few days a week, spending time meditating or doing yoga and eating healthy, whole and unprocessed foods (for the most part). And, while you may be an expert on all the food trends that popped up in 2015, you may still be in th dark about some of the hot food trends for 2016. We've taken a few moments to come up with a list of our top 6 foods that you should be eating now. Some are old faves from 2015 that just seem to keep gaining momentum (hello 'bowls' and matcha lattes), while some are hot off the wire for 2016 (pulses and seaweed). Keep reading to get to know 6 of the healthy foods that everyone is talking about this year.
1. Everything in a bowl
It started out with smoothie bowls. You know, those pretty-as-can-be bowls filled with a gorgeous coloured smoothie and then layered with superfoods like almonds, chia seeds and gji berries. Well, now everything is being served in a bowl. From grain bowls to veggie bowls and macro bowls, it seems there's not only a bowl for everyone, but for every meal too. And, what's not to love really? Eating out of a bowl is fun, it allows us to create endless breakfast, lunch and dinner possibilities and they are super easy to make as many parts can be made ahead.
→ Check out our handy infographic on the Anatomy of a Superfood Bowl here!
2. Oatmeal (but using different grains)
Sure, oatmeal is healthy and it's certain to provide you with the fuel to get you from A (breakfast) to B (lunch). But, what if you learned that there were even healthier ways to make that morning bowl of 'oatmeal'? 2016 is all about using different grains to make your go-to breakfast even healthier.
→ Love oatmeal? Check out our article on the 5 Oatmeal Recipe's We're Pumped About here!
3. Matcha
Way more than just green tea, matcha (green tea powder) is making headlines everywhere. From trendy cafés serving up matcha-spiked lattes to models downing shots of this trendy beverage during fashion week, matcha is being hailed as the superfood to beat all other superfoods. And for good reason, matcha's list of health benefits is seemingly endless. It promises not only to boost energy, but it helps to detox the body, fight cancer, help you loose weight by boosting metabolism, halts the aging process, improves brain power and reduces stress. How does matcha do all this? It's infused with high levels of antioxidants, amino acids, and chlorophyll. In fact, it has more antioxidants than goji berries, blueberries, acai berries, pomegranate, spinach and broccoli combined. And unlike your regular cup of joe, matcha slowly releases caffeine over several hours (as opposed to all at once,) so you feel energized all day and avoid that jittery feeling that coffee imparts.
→ Check out our article on the 7 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Matcha Every Day here!
4. Mushrooms
Whatever your fancy—button, cremini, enoki, oyster, portobello, shiitake or even morels—we now know that all mushrooms are loaded with essential nutrients and antioxidants. In fact, according to Wellandgood.com, mushroom tonics are even replacing the latte (regular, matcha, green tea, whatever).
→ Looking to learn more about the many different types of mushrooms? Check out our Mushroom 101 article here!
5. Pulses
What are pusles? Lentils, beans, peas & chickpeas. Pulses are a vital source of plant-based proteins and amino acids for people around the world. They are an excellent addition to any diet and have been shown to address obesity, and prevent and manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary conditions and cancer. They are some of the cornerstones of a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet. Fact is, we can all have more fiber and protein in our diet and pulses are a convenient, inexpensive way to do this. Our advice? Keep a few cans of cooked lentils, chickpeas, white or kidney beans in your pantry or cook your to add substance and texture to any soup or salad. So just how good for us are pulses? So good that the UN declared 2016 The International Year of the Pulses!
→ Check out our easy and delicious recipe for a Chorizo, Spinach & Chickpea Stew here!
6. Seaweed
Yes, kale is absolutely a superfood. But seawood? Well seaweed is being hailed (by the New York Times, no less) as a 'miracle food'. Most of us know of seaweed as the green paper-thin wrinkly stuff that surrounds our spicy tuna rolls. But seaweed is popping up all over the place now and for good reason. Seaweed has an awesome nutrient profile, it has amazing skin-care benefits and it is an extremely potent source of minerals derived from the sea. According to our writer, Lynsey Walker, "their saline origin gives them the full spectrum of minerals, often 20 times that of land plants, in a highly available matrix meaning that a little goes along way. When it comes to bone health specifically, many types of sea veggies contain calcium that can be upwards of 10-20% greater than that of dairy, as well as other nutrients like chlorophyll, magnesium, trace minerals like boron and manganese, and amino acids like lysine, which all play a hand in optimal calcium absorption, utilization, and thus greater bone health." So, what are some ways you can start to incorporate the trendy green into your diet?
→ Want to learn more reasons you should be eating seaweed? Check out Lynsey's article on Why You Need To Be Eating Sea Veggies here!