The 10 Biggest Health Food Trends of 2018, According to Natural Grocers

Food is about a lot more than just flavor and enjoyment. I love bacon cheeseburgers and milkshakes as much as anybody, but I can’t eat them all the time. What we put into our bodies has a huge effect on our health, performance, how we feel, and how long we live. So humanity is constantly looking for new foods, or new information about old foods, that can help our bodies.

The new year is traditionally a time when people get more interested in health and wellness. According to Natural Grocers, which put together a panel of nutrition and wellness experts to predict the year’s biggest nutrition trends, in 2018 wellness means putting collagen in your coffee, buying organic, and trying brain-boosting mushrooms.

According to Natural Grocers, these will be the 10 biggest nutrition trends of 2018.

You may have noticed all your favorite wellness bloggers adding powdered collagen to their coffee lately, and it looks like the trend is only going to grow in 2018. Collagen is the most plentiful protein in the human body, and it’s also what makes skin look smooth and supple. People have been applying it topically and trying to boost their bodies’ production of it for decades in an attempt to make their skin look younger.

Now collagen has moved over from the cosmetics aisle and become the trendiest new superfood. You can buy capsules to take as vitamins, or powders to add to smoothies, coffee, oatmeal, soup, or whatever else you can think of.

Juice cleanses and week-long fasts are losing popularity. Instead doing a sudden detox week to “clear out toxins” every few months, people are reportedly looking to fill their daily diets with more “cleansing foods” that “help facilitate the body’s natural detox processes.” Sulfur, vitamins C and E, selenium, and zinc are all credited with detoxifying powers, so a few popular “detox foods” are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green tea, and arugula.

Organic foods are still going strong, and demand is only increasing.

“Grass-fed” is not just about beef anymore. In the interest of animal welfare, protecting the environment, and personal nutritional benefits, people are turning to grass-fed and pasture-raised animals for many animal products, including eggs, milk, butter, and cheese, in addition to meat.

Black seed oil comes from Nigella Sativa seeds. It has a very strong flavor, but it’s being touted as a miracle food supplement. It’s credited with helping reduce inflammation, helping bone health, and even preventing cancer.

Ketogenic diets were one of the biggest trends of 2017, and they are not going away anytime soon. Holiday recipes for keto diets were even one of the biggest trends over Thanksgiving. Keto diets are based on the idea of losing weight by eating a high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet to push the body into a ketogenic state, where it produces ketones from the breakdown of fats in the liver.

Wellness is not a new trend. People have been looking to feel better and live longer for as long as people have existed. According to Natural Grocers, a lot of people have been getting interested in herbal remedies, essential oils and aromatherapy treatments, and ancient foods and supplements with reported health benefits.

Apple cider vinegar has been credited with all kinds of health and beauty benefits. Now people are drinking it in bottles, like kombucha. Part of the hope is that drinking vinegar will help a body feel full longer and absorb more nutrients from food.

Hiding vegetables in food is not just for toddlers anymore. A lot of people are trying to get themselves to eat more vegetables by sneaking it into their own food in the form of vegetable noodles, vegetable pizza crusts, waffles with vegetables inside, and more.

Whole Foods says functional mushrooms will be one of the biggest trends of 2018, and a big part of that interest is because some mushrooms are said to be able to boost brain function. Who doesn’t want to be smarter, improve concentration, have a better memory, and fight off the mental effects of aging?

People are eager to try anything that could promote or maintain brain health, and right now that means they’re buying herbs, mushrooms, botanicals, and any other natural product that is said to improve brain health. Lion’s mane mushrooms are a big one, as are turmeric, holy basil, reishi mushrooms, and more.

What do you think of these 2018 nutrition trends?