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The Fit Foodie
3) DRINKABLE SOUP
Just think: juicing 2.0. While the fresh, raw juice trend will con- tinue to satiate consumer’s need for pure nutrition, drinkable soup will see a rise in popularity as people are looking for portable, nu- trient-dense options. is relatively new category takes the spoon (and bowl and napkin) out of enjoying fresh soup and turns it into a smooth, on-the-go meal that can be enjoyed chilled or hot. Of- ten made with organic ingredients—fresh produce shines here with great variety that suits every dietary need. Soups can be tomato, broth, cream or non-dairy milk based and can evolve through the seasons, packed with antioxidants and globally-inspired seasonings - like butternut squash, carrot and apple puree with thyme for fall, ai pumpkin coconut soup with lemongrass for winter, creamy asparagus soup with chives for spring and roasted tomato and red pepper with basil for summer.
Brands like Project Juice Chef-Crafted Soups, Fawen Drinkable Soup and Tio Gazpacho Chilled Vegetable Soup are jumping on the bandwagon at grocery stores with aseptic ‘heat and eat’ packag- ing. Expect to see your local juice bars and cafes to follow suit as they look for ways to expand their o erings and grow the frequency occasion of their guests.
For the home chef’s convenience, many high-powered blenders such as Vitamix can create a hot soup by letting it run for a few minutes, so no stovetop needed.
Just push the ‘soup’s on’ button and lunch is served.
4) GRASS-FED DAIRY
Grass-fed beef made a big splash with its promise to help consumers pick a more sustainable, cleaner source – along with a safer product according to a 2015 study conducted by Consumer Reports. It also found that consumers are willing to pay substantially more for grass-fed, too. Now, the trend has been passed onto its dairy by- products. Expect to see the ‘Grass-fed’ moniker emblazoned across everything dairy-derived, from butter and ghee, to yogurt, cheese and milk to protein powder and even dietary supplements like Vital Proteins Grass Fed Collagen. Kerrygold, 4th & Heart, OMGhee, Organic Valley, Stony eld Farms and Maple Hill Creamery have already jumped on the pro table bandwagon. Kura Nutrition, be- hind a successful line of grass-fed boosted protein powders from New Zealand, is now making their way into the US.
So what does it really mean? Earlier in 2016, the USDA with- drew its Grass (Forage) Fed Marketing Claim Standard, so there is no certi cation program under them for the time being. e American Grassfed Association has put into play a certi cation pro- cess that requires processors and purveyors of grass-fed products to adhere to standards that require the animal to be fed only grass and forage from weaning until harvest, to be raised on pasture without con nement, to be free of antibiotics or growth hormones and to be raised only on American family farms.
While the regulation of the claim is a bit loosey-goosey and void of any standards on a national level, more and more consumers are concerned about their food choices according and how the animal is treated. Expect to see more unity in the certi cation program and a standardized seal to help ensure standards across the board.
e Grass-fed crazy may just pull you o the fence and away from being a dairy-downer.
5) SEA-FOOD
We’ve gotten used to snacking on seaweed, taking blue green algae supplements and cooking with sea salt. Yet, the bounty of the sea is so vast; it’s hard for the average person to wrap their head around the deep blue. Good thing there are marine life wranglers pulling up a whole new crop based on the gifts of the ocean.
For its sustainability, nutrient density, umami avor pro le and versatility, the tidal wave of sea plant popularity has directed the growth in new categories. Research from Mintel shows that seaweed- avored product launches, featuring kombu, nori and wakame, have seen triple digit increases over the past few years in Europe.
From pantry staples to your beer mug, expect to sea more variety in 2017.
34 Endless Summer 2017
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