2021 Health Food Trends
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Our team have been looking past 2020 to 2021 health food trends shaping the industry next year.
One of the key drivers that will continue into next year is consumers’ desire for healthy, nutritious food.
Compounded by health concerns that have dominated 2020, consumers are electing for a more wholesome, natural diet. With many people spending more time at home, this has created a renaissance in home-cooking, allowing people to use ingredients that are typically not available in convenience foods.
Keto foods increase in popularity
One key example of health food trends going into 2021 is the rise in popularity of ‘keto’ foods. With product offerings generally limited, it can be an expensive diet to maintain. This is, however, beginning to change with reduced carbohydrate, higher-fat ingredients including specialist flours such as peanut and almond becoming more widely available.
More consumers are opting for vegan options
Historically, vegan foods have also fallen into this category; however, plant-based choices for consumers have increased significantly during 2020, and we predict this trend will extend into 2021. As a result, we expect to see a growing demand for pea proteins as an allergen free-alternative to wheat soy and whey. Requirements for dairy alternatives will also continue to rise, with oat milk being particularly popular as an alternative choice for making vegan bread.
The trend for healthy high-protein foods has been driven not only by the rise in veganism but also the desire to build lean muscle and aid weight loss. Soy and pea proteins provide an accessible day-to-day alternative to meat and dairy sources of protein, and we anticipate 2021 will see continued growth in the popularity of these products.
‘Staying well’ is top of mind as we start to consider 2021 health food trends
Consumers are increasingly concerned with maintaining gut health; seeking foods that are high in fibre such as whole-grain bread, and those that are high in pre and probiotic content, such as sourdough. Sourdough also has the benefit of lowering blood sugar and improving the availability of nutrients.
Consumers are recognising that maintaining a gluten-free diet can also bring multiple health benefits, and are increasingly looking for gluten-free flour alternatives such as almond flour to support this lifestyle. Low salt and sugar options remain essential to consumers.
Demand to increase for vitamin-enriched foods and natural remedies
Following on with this theme, we’ve seen increased demand for vitamin-enriched foods and natural remedies offering a range of benefits:
- Turmeric – Can assist in relieving inflammation
- Ginger – To help ease nausea
- Cinnamon – Shown to help lower blood sugar
- Garlic – Beneficial for maintaining heart health
- Cayenne – Can help to alleviate pain
To summarise, looking forward to 2021, we anticipate that consumers will continue to improve their knowledge and understanding of the health benefits that can be realised through their choice of diet.
For any questions on this article or our products, please contact sales@uren.com.
