As a Board Certified Sport Dietitian and coach, I enjoy following food trends to see what my athletes are going to be asking me about throughout the year. Back in 2015, I wrote an article for Ironman.com featuring my eight food trends to watch out for and I think I did pretty well with my predictions.
Kale, cauliflower rice, avocado toast, chia seed pudding, coconut oil, grain and gluten-free diets, and nut butters are among the many trend-worthy foods of the past that continue to appear on restaurant and fast food menus and in processed snacks and desserts.
Food trends are widespread and contagious. Even if you hate kale, you learn to appreciate the dirt-like, bitter taste because you gravitate to what’s popular in an effort to fit in. In the health, fitness, and even endurance sub-cultures, our choices are often based more on popularity than on taste.
Although it’s difficult to forecast the future, I made another attempt with my food trend predictions for 2018 in my latest Ironman.com article. Only time will tell if I predicted correctly or not!