When you’re Australia’s leading resource for news and facts about plastic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and personal enhancement, knowing what’s trending in health and beauty is more than a pastime, it’s a passion.
This week Costhetics is feeling passionate about hot food trends in 2018. We’re picky, though. The trends we’re interested in aren’t just a flash in the pan, so to speak. They’re simple, but powerful diet choices that deliver good health along with good taste and should be a permanent part of your meal plan.
We hope you’ll eat them up!
Swap: Veg for Grain
It started with zoodles, charming strands of spiralized zucchini that mimicked the best qualities of pasta, without the carb load. Now there are noodles made of beetroot, carrots, and a host of other veggies. What’s good for the noodle is good for the rice, with vegetables like cauliflower standing in for the high-carb starch.
Swapping out white grains for colourful vegetables is a great way to lower your intake of refined carbohydrates, vegetables also deliver heaps more nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Here is an on-trend recipe that replaces a slice of white bread with a bright orange alternative:
Sinfully Sweet Potato Toastie
Ingredients:
- Sweet Potato
- Toppings
Directions
- Slice the potato in long planks, about 3 cm’s thick
- Place upright in toaster
- Put through 2 cycles on high (this differs from toaster to toaster)
Potato will be slightly charred on the outside (like toast) and soft in the middle.
Top with breakfast favourites such as bananas and almond butter, avocado and chia seeds.
Shouts for Sprouts
Anyone who has enjoyed the cuisine of Asia has undoubtedly enjoyed the pleasures of bean sprouts. The flavour of these pliant little wonders is delicate and delightful. Even more delightful are these additional health benefits:
- Higher nutritional content than non-sprouted counterparts
- Easier to digest
According to research from Harvard University, sales of sprouted grains are expected to jump eightfold this year with consumers flocking to sprouted grains like buckwheat and barley in breads and cereals and choosing sprouted brown rice. Here’s why:
- Sprouted brown rice fights diabetes and the reduces risk of cardiovascular disease
- Sprouted barley is linked to decreases in blood pressure
- Sprouted buckwheat helps protect against fatty liver disease
We’re crazy about waffles! But we don’t eat them too often because of the effect of the white flour on our digestive system and our middle. This recipe for sprouted waffles changes that:
Wondrous Wellness Waffles
Ingredients
2 eggs
¼ cup yogurt
1 ¼ cups water
3 tablespoons coconut oil
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups sprouted whole-wheat ?our
½ cup coconut ?our
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons dried, shredded coconut
Directions
Lightly beat the eggs
Combine eggs with yogurt, water, oil, syrup and vanilla in a mixing bowl
Mix until combined
Fold in all the dry ingredients to the egg mixture
Mix until blended (do not over mix)
Add water or flour to adjust the consistency
Cook following the directions on your waffle iron
Serve with butter and maple syrup
4 Reasons Turmeric Is Taking Over
The turmeric trend started in 2017 with golden milk lattes and turmeric shots leading the pack. Sometimes called ‘Indian saffron’ or ‘the golden spice,’ the distinctively orange powder is a potent antioxidant, prized for its anti-inflammatory properties. Medical News Today cites these as some of turmeric’s other winning benefits:
- Improves liver function
- Relives pain
- May help reduce risk of certain types of cancer
- Aids in digestion
Many people are familiar with turmeric tea, but we like something cold in the summertime. We found an easy and guilt-free way to satisfy our cravings for something icy.
Tropical Turmeric Ice Creams
Ingredients
1 ½ cups coconut milk
2 cups frozen peaches
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon ginger
3 tablespoons agave syrup
Directions
Blend coconut milk and frozen peaches in a blender until smooth
Add in the turmeric, ginger, and agave syrup
Blend until mixed
Pour into ice cream stick moulds and freeze overnight
The Costhetics Dinner Bell is Ringing
There are lots of other exciting trends that we’ll be telling you about in the weeks to come, from plant-based eating to intuitive eating, gut healthy eating, and more. For now, however, we’re going to call it a day. All this talk about good food has made us hungry. Maybe a waffle…
Stay healthy, not hungry!