Nutrition Trends 2016: Ancient Foods, Algae, Souping Big This New Year

From juicing, yoga to organic food, the year 2015 has marked a significant improvement on the public's consciousness in nutrition and healthy eating, and as a new year unfolds, we list down some of the new nutrition trends that will make it big in 2016.

Ancient Grains

According to MSN Lifestyle, 2016 will about going "back to basics" when it comes to food choices. Mintel Global Food and Drink Analyst Jenny Zegler says that in 2016, there will be "a profoundly changed marketplace." The food that the public considers to be "alternatives" will take center stage and be "mainstream" choices for consumers, forcing companies to not use artificial content in their product to meet the consumers' demand of "natural and less processed food."

MSN notes that the new health-conscious mentality of the public will lead them to explore the benefits of ancient grains such as millet, teff, amaranth and kamut.

Jim Breen, founder and CEO of Live Better Brands, said as quoted by Food Processing, "Sprouted ingredients are trending, particularly flax, quinoa and chia seed. Sprouted grains, beans and seeds have seen a big rise in popularity in the last few years. Folks are more mindful about maximizing and enhancing the nutrition in the foods they eat and look for quality protein sources ... increasingly in snacking."

According to the website, ancient grains have been used in history, and consumers will discover their value as they tick all the boxes for being whole grain, gluten-free, non-GMO, high-fiber, high-protein and vegan.

Souping

Move over, juicing, there's another star in the house and it's called souping. According to Rachel Beller, CEO of Beller Nutritional Institute per Today's Dietitian, "Souping is the new juicing."

Beller describes it having "exclusive souping meal plans that even include desserts." Unlike juicing, which only squeezes out liquid and discards the pulp or fiber that contains the most nutrients, souping contains the whole fruit or vegetable. This means that the individual can consume everything (fiber, seed, pulp), resulting to higher nutritional content.

Los Angeles has already started the trend by selling soups in to-go jars. Breakfast soups (smoothie bowls) and dessert soups have also been available in the market.

Algae

"Algae is evolving as the next new alternative protein," says the Institute of Food Technologists per Science Daily. According to the publication, algae reduce food waste and are effective alternatives for slow meat consumption.

"Are consumers ready for algae as an ingredient? Yes, they are ready and excited about algae," Beata Klamczynska at Solazyme said. "The more they learn, the more excited they get. Just a little education eliminates any doubts.”

According to MSN Lifestyle, algae may be used as a key component in dairy-free protein powder that are usually consumed after workouts.