Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen people becoming more conscious of healthy eating habits. From vegan-friendly restos to organic grocery deliveries down to healthier restaurant offerings and everything plant based and gluten free – almost everyone has tried out healthy food fads. There were also a lot of wellness centers that have started offering juice cleansing retreats and healthy detoxing with organic table menus.
This year, the highlight on certain healthy food and styles in preparing healthier dishes will be the talk among healthy food consumers. We’ve rounded up a few global trends and some that we’ve seen in our local market that are becoming word of mouth.
Throw nothing away
Chefs and home cooks are beginning to embrace stem-to-root, nose-to-tail, or even fin-to-tail food preparation. It’s not rocket science food style prep, it simply means no food is wasted as all parts of the meat, vegetable, or fruit are used to create different dishes.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, a third of the world’s food is thrown away – that’s money down the drain. For vegetables, food prep usually involves snipping away parts of the produce that are still edible but not appetizing to look at on a plate. Certain vegetables like carrot tops and broccoli leaves are handy greens to add as garnishing to soups or as salad toppings, while the peel of some root crops can be fried to make crunchy and healthy chips.
Practically every green part of leeks, asparagus, cabbage cores, cauliflower and broccoli can be used to create vegetable stock. After juicing lemons or other citrus fruits, save up the peels as they can be used for candied fruits, or use the zest for juices and flavoring. In the province, moringa fruits are commonly used for pinakbet and sautéed vegetables or added to soupy meals, while leaves of kamias and tamarind are used to make sour broths.
Healthy fast food
The rise of healthy offerings in restaurants has become a norm as more and more people usually ask for healthy options when dining, and business owners are catching on the trend and have started to put up healthy fast food joints. In Manila, there are so many healthy fast food restaurants popping up in almost every corner, making the fast food competition a little tougher for your usual burger or fries joint.
It used to be that you have to go all the way to a certain part of the Metro just to get a taste of fresh and healthy fast food. But today, there’s probably at least one or two healthy fast food joints near your office. It won’t be surprising if favorite fast food places like Juju Eats, Detoxify Bar, Sprout, Go! Salads are within striking distance to where people usually work or hangout. Even Singapore-based SaladStop already opened five stores since it started in December 2014. This year, we might be seeing some more of these healthy options ready for on-the-go healthy eaters. There’s no more excuse to say, “I have no choice but to eat these greasy fries!”
Chick(peas)
Look at healthy menus in restaurants and you will likely spot chickpeas as a main ingredient, and most common uses would be for hummus (chickpea dip), curries, soups, and salads. With the current trend of gluten-free produce, chickpea is being used more and more as a flour alternative that is not only gluten-free but also high in protein. It can be used to make chickpea fritters, breads, veggie burgers, as a thickener for soups and crust for meats.
Super herbs
Move over superfood, herbs are making a comeback and they are indeed “super.” Super herbs are high in vitamins and are very nutritious. One of the super herbs that is getting some renown is ashwagandha, a powerful herb used in Ayurvedic healing and is reputed to strengthen the immune system, improve learning, enhance memory, and combat the effects of daily stress. Maca is also one of the supers; it is a root plant more commonly available in powder form and can be added to food or consumed for medicinal purposes to boost stamina, energy and, ahem – sexual performance and fertility.
Maca powder is good for smoothies, salads, drinks, savory dishes, and juices. Another super herb is the nutritious plant moringa whose rise to stardom surprised us Filipinos years ago as we usually just ignore it in our backyards. This year, we will still see more and more moringa products (well, if they haven’t thought of everything moringa already) sold in the market for kitchen use, or as body care and skincare products.
Healthy snacking
We usually take snacks more religiously than eating proper meals. But like smoking, it is no secret that it is bad for our health, more so our figure as sporadic snacking causes excess bulge in areas where we don’t usually want them. There are currently so many options in the market and snacks are getting less and less sweet and salty.
Last year, everyone went gaga over kale chips as they became available in healthy food stores. Today, more snacks are being made from lentils, chickpeas, and quinoa. Healthy snack choices also include packed nuts, granola or muesli bars.
Cocogreen and Co has quite a selection of plant-based, gluten-free and whole-food alternative snacks. Visit the store at 2F Picasso Hotel, Leviste St., Salcedo Village in Makati or drop by Salcedo market every Saturday and indulge in its offering of Figs and Dates Power Balls and Fireball Chewy Choco-chips Cayenne Cookies (brown rice based, soy-free, dairy-free dark chocolate chips, cacao nibs, coco nectar and spiked with cayenne) among many other healthy snacks in the menu and are usually the favorite among local celebrities.
Bowl food
So we went overboard with mason jars over the last couple of years, and yes, last Christmas we still opened packs of these jars. This year, we wish to see less and less of them in stores and in dining options. And speaking of food containers, a global trend might be a mix of different cuisines served in a classic or contemporary bowl. These are called “Globowls” – breakfast, lunch, or dinner in a bowl packed with nutritious dishes that usually contain a salad mixture of different influences, mixed grains with different toppings, noodles, or quinoa-based recipes crammed in a bowl. You can order these in restaurants or make one from home. SaladStop offers all these fun and playful salad options in a bowl, same as Juju Eats. The Wholesome Table also serves whole grain, nutritious meals-in-a-bowl, and one of the crowd favorites is the Protein Power Bowl made with quinoa, chickpeas, carrots, mixed mushrooms, herbs, and beansprouts in a tahini sauce.
Clean food
We’ve all heard of grass-fed animals and non-GMO produce served in newly opened restaurants last year. People are becoming more careful about where they get their food and if they can’t make it at home, they will head to a restaurant and bombard the establishment with so many questions as to the food origin of dishes offered. In the Philippines, there are a lot of organic produce already available for regular home deliveries and this has been going on for years. As for restaurants, we need more chefs willing to use seasonal organic produce for their daily menu rather than opt for regularly available GMO vegetables.
If you want fresh organic vegetables for cooking at home, you may subscribe to Good Food Community, an organization that uses a “Community Shared Agriculture” system that allows you to become part of the sustainable process of farming the produce by paying upfront and helping the farmers produce their crops. Subscribe and take part in co-producing your weekly basket of fresh, seasonal, organic produce for a fixed period. You may also opt to get your daily organic products from Holy Carabao. The products are available in select grocery stores or at Holy Carabao Farmers’ Market City Stop in a corner along Poblacion, Makati. You may also check out The Green Grocer Manila’s home delivery of fresh harvest organic produce, grass-fed and naturally raised meats, artisan breads and other gourmet grocery eats.
Nut milks
Cold pressed juices have reigned supreme over the last couple of years. This time, there is a growing trend in nut milks as alternative for milk and soy milk. A lot of over-the-counter bespoke brands have been popping up globally and it is just a matter of time before these brands reach our shores. There are combinations available in the global market though that show a playful side of nut milks without compromising the nutrition value. You may look for combinations made with almonds, walnut, cashew, macadamia, and pistachio.
Back-to-basics seems to be the theme of healthy food trends, and people are focusing on their holistic wellness more than anything. So, don’t be left behind. If being healthy is cool, then jump on the bandwagon as soon as possible.