As we’re approaching the end of 2015 and going onto 2016; I thought it would be interesting to go through some of the food/nutrition trends that have emerged this year and discuss whether or not we should take them with us onto 2016. Quinoa was a big hit in 2013, that year was even declared as the “International Year of Quinoa” by the United Nations; while gluten-free products became a hit in 2014. Reflecting back at the year 2015, many nutritional trends have been adopted, some are great while others are not so great. Let’s take a look at the top 5 nutrition trends for this year and you can decide whether or not they are worth keeping in your diet.
Kale – I would have to say that nothing made it big this year as much as kale did. Loaded with vitamins A, C and K this leafy green vegetable is a great addition to any diet; but so are most leafy greens! Kale is not the only veggie that is a nutrient powerhouse; therefore if you like the taste and enjoy it keep it, otherwise just stick to locally grown seasonal veggies like spinach, jute leaves (molokhiya), parsley and coriander leaves.
Greek Yogurt – This dairy food is one of the most versatile out there. Used as a snack or accompanied with a main dish, Greek yogurt is very high in protein and low in carbohydrates making it a favorite food among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. You do have to be cautious with Greek yogurt as it can be very high in fat. My recommendation is to choose a low fat option and aim for around 2 servings of dairy a day.
Green Tea – This has been a trend for a while and I have yet to understand why. Yes, green tea is loaded with antioxidants but so is black and white teas. Green tea does have a high amount of polyohenols (antioxidants) which can be absorbed at higher amounts by adding lemon to it. So if you can have your green tea without any sugar and add a lemon to it, you’ll be doing your body a huge favor! But don’t worry if you haven’t developed a liking to green tea as research shows black and white teas are just as good as long as you have them sans the sugar!
Avocados – My favorite trend of the year! I have been a fan of avocados ever since my freshman year at university; creamy, delicious and a great addition to any meal to help boost that good cholesterol in your body. Definitely a keeper in my book! Loaded with healthy fats, potassium and fiber this fruit is a great daily addition to anybody’s diet. Add it to your salads, your breakfasts or even shakes but be careful to not over do it – 1/2 an avocado is all you need as it is a very nutrient and calorie dense food.
Coconut Oil – This craze, in my opinion, will go on to 2016 in the nutrition world. Researchers have not reached a conclusion as to whether or not it does cause heart disease, increase weight loss, or even suppress your appetite, but the research is still going on, and it will take time before any conclusions will be made. Coconut oil is high in saturated fats (the heart disease causing kind) and therefore we should be a bit more cautious when using them, despite the fact that many argue otherwise. I think olive oil seems to be the safest fat to use in moderation, so until I hear more from research I’ll be using coconut oil as a beauty product and hold off on using it in my food.
What do you think of this year’s nutrition trends? Are there any that you are planning to keep? I think the best advice I can give is for you to test foods out yourself and see how your body reacts to them. What could be beneficial to one person might not be to another. I, for example, have tried adding in quinoa to my diet several times but was not successful because of my sensitive colon. Just remember that no one knows their body better than you do. I wish you all a very happy new year filled with health and happiness!
Post by Hyatt Al Sayegh, a Clinical Dietitian and Dr. Sears Health Coach.
Founder of Fork Fed.
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33 replies on “Fork Fed: 2015 Nutrition Trends”
So someone told me that coconut oil was really beneficial and I’m now using it to make eggs every morning. What would be a better alternative to use?
People on ketogenic diets normally use coconut oil.
You could google for more info on it.
Yes, people on ketogenic diets (extremely high fat and moderate protein diet) are given coconut oil as their source of fat because of it’s structure. It’s a medium-chained triglyceride therefore it’s easily metabolized for energy
There are many topics being discussed on the benefits of coconut oil, the only issue is that no much research has been done to prove any of those benefits. Just to be on the safe side I use olive oil, as long as it doesn’t start smoking olive oil is fine to use in cooking.
There is an interesting podcast on Tim Ferriss’ website where he interviewed Dominic D’Agostino.
They discussed about ketosis and ketogenic diets. They also went into details regarding the use of coconut oil.
If you are interested, the link is below:
https://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/11/03/dominic-dagostino/
It is long (around 3 hrs), but has some very interesting discussions.
Put a tsp in your coffee in the morning (some people blend it since it may stay chunky but I usually put it in the cup before brewing it so it melts).
I’ll stick with the local cuisine
I agree that kale pretty much took over 2015. Everywhere I looked in grocery shops, restaurants and snack shops, there it was kale!
I’m also seeing the pomelo fruit kinda hitting it big in the past month or so…… or maybe it’s just me. It is delicious if you haven’t tried it and it’s a packer also.
Pomelo is an excellent fruit loaded with vitamin C and very low in calories. I don’t mind it being the next food trend.
Kale is so 2000 and late.
Anything that’s big in the States becomes big in the Middle East 5-10 years later.
Kuwait has yet to discover Kefir or Kombucha. But they will soon enough, Arabs will do anything white people do.
well the west is where all the research and innovation is so we will obviously follow their lead.
I agree with Mark you nudnik!
Arabs do anything white people do just like Indians suck up to and do anything the Brits do.
@KuwaitChronicles: I’m not Indian, I’m Arab.
Don’t bring Indians into this, racist.
I’m sure you thought I was Indian just because you googled “Arundhati Roy” and discovered she’s Indian and therefore that I’m Indian too because the only Indians Arabs like are vacuous Bollywood stars, right? Wrong.
I can mock and say anything I want about my own people.
Indians do not everything the Brits do. India happens to be one of the few countries in the world where only 5-10% of music and film consumption is Western, the rest is Indian. The same can’t be said for any Arab country where Western movies account for more than 90% of total cinema revenue.
@Mark That’s my point, it’s high time Arabs started contributing to the world! Where’s OUR innovation & research? Where’s our car? Where’s our facebook & google? Where’s our anything? India’s TATA vehicle company bought Jaguar years ago, they are now the CEOs of the largest companies in the world including Google and Pepsi and they sent a fucking rocket to Mars last year successfully and they did it all on their OWN with no assistance from white people!
If Arabs were to send a rocket to Mars (hahahaha), they’d hire some Scandinavian to design it and thousands of poorly treated third world migrant workers to build it.
We’re busy fighting very important religious wars
Wow! If Arabs are as weak as you, with your suppressed anger then we’re all in really bad shape.
Stick to Roy please or get off your ass and do something grand for Arabs instead of whining about it here numb-nuts.
Arabs are in much worse shape. At least I don’t kill or support the killing of people for drawing cartoons (JE SUIS CHARLIE) or think that an ex-Muslim apostate should be killed.
As for the something grand, I think Arabs need a wake-up call and I’m helping them with that. And yes, I’m also working on a couple of things.
You try too hard to prove you are not Indian, but you most definitely are- masquerading as Arab or whatever. Get real dude
Ha, tell that to my Palestinian grandparents.
If you are talking about cricket – the Indians do it better than the Brits do 😀
While reading above comments, momentarily I forgot what was the original post all about..next comment brougt me to the real topic..
We already have both Kefir and Kombucha in Kuwait. Also they’re both unpleasant. What’s wrong with regular milk or tea?
where can one find Greek yogurt in Kuwait?
Hello, I know several hypermarkets sell it in Kuwait. I believe I’ve seen both Chobani and Rachel’s Greek yogurts around. Just make sure to buy the unflavored kind to avoid any added sugars.
@abdalsamad
You can find Chobani Greek yoghurt in Sultan Center Salmiya & Kout.
It’s very expensive though.
I usually get the locally produced Alban Dairy Greek Yoghurt but it’s full fat
Carrefour have really good Greek yogurt (full fat) if you can find it. Usually runs out pretty quick.
FFS it is food, it is universal!!
Americans plant palm trees in California, the Brits import tea and spices from India, israelies geneticallly modify cherry tomatoes, kale is being planted in Kuwait and Peruvian quinoa is being grown in the UAE!
Kale infused cupcakes perhaps?
Green tea, avocados and coconut oil aren’t new and I dont think they are trends .. Its like saying apple is a trend which is stupid!!!
I think matcha green tea is a trend though
+1 for Matcha!
greek yoghurt=labneh
Also Coconut water.
yup thats a good one, every supermarket in kuwait carries a few brands right now.