Seaweed became tuna, date-based butter and avocado oil mayonnaise.
These are just three of the expected food trends of 2023 that will hit supermarket shelves.
But are they really good for you?
MailOnline asked the experts for their opinion… and it’s not as clear-cut as you’d hope.
According to food retailer Whole Foods Market, superfoods, vegan alternatives and sea vegetables are expected to increase in popularity. The flavor forecast for next year includes healthy foods such as dates, seaweed and avocado oil
seaweed
Seaweed has been considered a “superfood” for years.
Supermodel Chrissy Teigen would love to snack on it after posting a photo of her pantry on Instagram, while Beyoncé revealed she added it to her salads while following the 22 Days Vegan plan.
Although seaweed is already popular among the health conscious, it’s still one of the hottest food trends of 2023, according to a Whole Foods report.
Luxury stores already sell pasta, fries, popcorn and soy sauce made from seaweed.
Still, the supermarket chain’s Jade Hoai predicts that there will be more “funny uses” of seaweed in the coming year.
Seaweed, an algae, is high in omega-3 fatty acids, iodine and vitamin D, which experts say is good for your heart, bones and muscles.
Manufacturers market it as a good alternative to kale or spinach because of its green appearance and nutritional value.
But it is also used to make a soy sauce substitute for its salty and umami flavor.
Additionally, it is also used in fish-free tuna, with consumers comparing the taste to fresh oysters.
Seaweed is considered a superfood because it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, iodine and vitamin D. Seaweed (right) is a large brown seaweed. This algae grows quickly, does not require fresh water or additional nutrients, and is nutritious and versatile in food products.
Harley Street nutritionist Kim Pearson, who specializes in weight loss, said: “Kelp is a source of minerals, including iodine, which is very important for thyroid health, and suboptimal iodine intake can impair thyroid function.
“It also provides vitamin K, iron, calcium, folic acid and magnesium.”
But Ms Pearson warns that products containing kelp are not always good for you.
For example, soy sauce alternatives can be more processed and full of sugar.
Soya noya sauce, made from seaweed harvested off the coast of Scotland, contains 22.3g of sugars per 100ml. Ms Pearson said: “While high quality tamari soy sauce has no.
“When buying soy sauce, it’s always worth looking out for natural tamari soy sauce, as opposed to the more processed versions with unwanted additives.”
Seabloom Lemon ‘Tuna Free’ Flakes, which also contain seaweed, also contain more calories, more sugar and less protein than a can of Princes Tuna Chunks in spring water.
The vegan alternative has 146 kcal per 100 g, 16.2 g of protein and 0.6 g of sugar.
For comparison: 100 g of Princes Tuna Chunks contains 99 kcal, 23.5 g of protein and no sugar.
Registered nutritionist Dr. Duane Mellor of Aston University in Birmingham suggests eating regular seaweed if you want to reap its nutritional benefits.
He added: “From a nutritional point of view, apart from soy sauce, it can also contain other trace elements, such as iodine.
“But it is unlikely to provide some of the nutritional benefits of eating seaweed, including protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and iodine and vitamin D.”
He advises us to take a closer look at the ingredients in these products, which are often marketed as having health benefits.
He said: “The tuna-free flakes are made with seaweed, which may have benefits, but a close look at the label reveals that there is little detail about how much seaweed it contains.”
The ingredient list indicates that it contains more pea protein, canola oil and lentils than seaweed.
Dr Mellor added: “Just because the packet says it contains an interesting or potentially healthy ingredient doesn’t mean it’s the main ingredient – always check the label.”
avocado oil
The avocado has been a staple on supermarket shelves for years, fueled by millennials’ love of avocado toast.
The creamy fruit, rich in healthy fats, can not only be spread on bread, but also mashed into guacamole and mixed into smoothies.
But the latest trend is for the fruit to be turned into an oil and added to snack foods, mayonnaise and salad dressings.
According to Whole Foods, it can be used in place of canola or sunflower oil — two types already popular with health-conscious shoppers because they’re so high in monounsaturated fats.
Hunter & Gather Classic Avocado Oil Mayo is a brand that contains avocado oil.
It’s sugar-free, dairy-free, has eight or more avocados per jar, free-range eggs and pink Himalayan salt. However, the product costs £6 for a 250g jar – three times the price of a larger 400g jar from Hellman’s.
Avocado oil is rich in omega 9 and also contains vitamin E, a beneficial antioxidant. Hunter & Gather Classic Avocado Oil Mayo (left) is a brand that contains avocado oil. It’s sugar-free, has eight or more avocados per jar, free-range eggs and pink Himalayan salt
Mrs Pearson is a fan and recommends the mayonnaise.
She added, “It does contain eggs, but the problem is the oils in most traditional brands of mayo.
“Many used refined canola oil, an omega-6 fat.
“We usually get way too much omega-6 in the diet, which can promote inflammation (when your body’s immune system sends out white blood cells to fight bacteria or heal an injury).
“Avocado oil and olive oil contain more omega 9, they also contain vitamin E, a beneficial antioxidant.”
The avocado oil mayonnaise is not only more expensive, but also higher in calories and fat than Hellmann’s.
Hunter & Gather brand contains 745 kcal and 83 g of fat per 100 g. For comparison: Hellmann’s full-fat version contains 724 kcal and 79 g of fat.
nutritionist dr. Mellor doesn’t think the avocado oil mayo is anything special.
He claims that many other brands of mayo are grain-free, dairy-free and contain free-range eggs. And he says other brands only add a pinch of sugar.
But it is the sheer volume of avocados that Dr. Mellor is not safe from an ecological point of view.
While the fruit may be healthy, it takes about 2,500 gallons of water to produce those eight avocados for just one jar of mayo.
Happenings
The craze for dates is not new – they have been grown and enjoyed since the days of ancient Mesopotamia.
Now, millennia later, the dehydrated fruit is enjoying a major renaissance as a sweetener added to granola bars, peanut butter and syrup.
But it is also growing in popularity among home bakers, with cookbooks including dates in recipes for cakes, chocolate brownies and mousses.
The sweet, dried fruit is a source of fiber and typically contains around 8g of fiber per 100g. They are also full of potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Dates are natural sugars. A single Medjool date contains 66.5 calories, two-thirds of which are sugar. The sweet, dried fruit is a source of fiber and typically contains around 8g of fiber per 100g. They are also full of potassium, calcium and magnesium
However, a single Medjool date contains 66.5 calories, and Ms Pearson warns that more than half of a date is just sugar, even before it’s processed.
She said: “Dates are very sweet and not so much a sugar substitute as a source of sugar in their own right.
“We have to be careful about their high sugar content.
“Dates contain 68 g of sugar per 100 g, so more than two thirds of sugar.
“While dates are clearly a healthier option than other high sugar processed foods, it’s still not a good idea to eat a lot of sugar.
“Whether it’s added or naturally occurring, once it’s consumed, the body can’t tell the difference.”
Yumello Salted Date Almond Butter sold at Whole Foods may have fewer calories than other brands of almond butter, but it has almost double the sugar.
The date butter, which costs £4.80, has 562.3 kcal per 100g and contains 9.1g of sugar.
But the popular, creamy Meridian almond butter, which contains no dates, has 650 kcal and 4.0 g of sugar per 100 g.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
