Health and wellness a focus for food trends

These days wellbeing isn’t just about what you eat, it’s about feeling better about yourself in every way, whether that’s about the products you buy, or the causes you support, so it's no surprise that out of the 10 trends Waitrose identified last year six* are undoubtedly influenced by a health and wellness agenda. These are:

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Carbs

After being the enemy of dieters for years, carbs are back in favour, with sales of bread, pasta, bulgur wheat and quinoa leading the charge.

Turmeric

Thought to help with a myriad of health concerns and used as a beauty treatment, turmeric has been flying off the shelves this year, including as a drink mix to replace tea and coffee.

Blueberries

Heralded as a ‘superfood’, blueberries have been a popular shopping basket item for the last few years, and their popularity continues to grow.

Buddha bowls

Made popular by food bloggers, Buddha bowls are a complete meal in a bowl featuring grains, raw or cooked veg, healthy fat, protein and greens.

Dark green veg

Waitrose sells a pack of kale, cavolo nero or chard every single second, with more traditional greens like broccoli and cabbage falling off the shopping list.

Protein

It’s not just meat and eggs – shoppers have been loading up on beans, seeds and meat-based snacks like jerky to up their protein intake. 

*the remaining four trends are brunch, peanut butter, juniper berries and herbs.