What will we eat in 2016?

So January is when we regret eating so much over Christmas and letting all our good intentions go to pot, having been indoors with large amounts of food that we might not otherwise have bought or eaten...

Time to get outside and get moving!

I wonder what 2016 will bring us in terms of dietary trends and messages?   With New Year's resolutions in mind, the Amazon Wish List for dieting and health eating books appears to refer more to plans and cures rather than to the D-word - diet.   Have we finally realised that diets don't work and just cost us a lot of money?   Or are diets just being rebranded as lifestyle changes and panaceas?

Last year also saw a significant online reaction to what was seen as female body-shaming.  Protein World ran an ad campaign on London Under Ground featuring and promoting the beach-ready body.   An immediate online petition signed by 70,000 suggests that many have had enough of body image dictation by advertising and marketing executives.

Social media will further shape what we eat over the next 12 months (if sales of cook books are anything to go by).   The biggest selling cook book was written by food blogger Deliciously Ella, knocking all celebrity chefs off the top spot.

In turn, bits of kit, like the Spiralizer (which turns vegetables into thin ribbons), have taken the nation's kitchens by storm.   Let's hope more vegetables will be eaten as a result!

Wikipedia: Creative Commons

And the power of celebrity is nudging doors open in both the food industry and Whitehall - in the shape of Jamie Oliver's 2015 Sugar Rush documentary and campaign .jamieoliver.com/sugar-rush    

The campaign focuses on childhood obesity with proposals for a tax on sugary drinks, changes to food labelling and a 9pm watershed on advertising of food high in fat, sugar and salt.   We may also see the naming of the UK's first Sugar Smart City (Brighton and Hove?) in 2016.

Perhaps Jamie's proposal with the most teeth is that of reformulation.  This follows the example of the food industry reducing salt levels in processed food.   For sugar, it would mean a gradual reformulation of all foods and drinks which contain extremely high levels of sugar.  This would allow our taste buds to adjust to less sweet-tasting food gradually.

So, finally after decades of fat being demonised, as a nation we are becoming more aware that actually our bodies need fat to function properly.  Our bodies do not, however, require food and drinks with large quantities of added sugar...

2015 also saw growth in the world of 'free-from' foods - many people choosing dairy, gluten and sugar-free diets.

After the World Health Organisation recently announced that eating processed meat is associated with a small increased risk of cancer (in the studies they reviewed), there may well be a longer term shift away from meat - a trend my vegetarian daughter will be pleased with!    The increasing awareness around the environmental cost of meat production is likely to boost this trend.

Wikipedia: Creative Commons

The States has led the way in recent years in high protein diets, something that may well be reflected by food retailers on the British high street more this year.   Interest may also grow further in 2106 in foods that boost 'good' gut bacteria.   Fermented foods, for the same reason, may well also increase in profile.   And if we turn to more pulses, seeds and grains for our diet - we may find ourselves soaking them to increase their nutrient content and aid their digestion.

Come summer, it may be Caipirinhas all round as we watch the Olympics in Brazil!

For now though, perhaps a diet free from large quantities of turkey, roast vegetables, chocolate biscuits and chocolates is all we need!   And maybe a dry January too...?!