Food Trends 2022 - What are we eating?
Marie
Fun and lifestyle - When Marie is not working on ideas for new content, she spends her time with friends enjoying a glass of wine, playing cards or watching a show. After graduating in business studies, she immersed herself in the world of branding and managing online shops to give her creativity free rein. Beautiful decorations and interior design ideas always put her in a good mood.
Many changes have taken place in our lives over the past two years. Slowly but surely, some of the seemingly temporary adjustments we have gone through in how we live, work, and eat are becoming something more enduring. Because many things are changing in the world, many things are also changing in our lifestyles, driven by two main factors: We want to stay healthy and we want to live more consciously. The pandemic and the climate crisis have not only pushed us to be more health-conscious about our eating habits, but have also cast a light on the moral and ethical aspects of just that. We want to be smart about our nutrition in order to stay fit, and at the same time we want to be conscious about how our choices affect the environment and other living creatures with which we share this world. Because of all this I am excited to talk about some trends in how we eat in 2022, and how this all ties back to our changing lifestyles. On top of that there will be plenty of inspiration in the form of some ideas of how to shape your kitchen space to make health-conscious eating that much easier!
Zero Waste - Environmentally Friendly Living
Zero waste focuses on waste prevention and encourages us to rethink our relationship with resources we consume. The movement has the goal for us to produce as little waste as possible, and ideally eliminate waste completely where possible to reduce our impact on the environment. The focus is on developing a heightened consciousness for how we produce waste, and voluntarily move ourselves to make positive changes in this area. Another aspect of zero waste is also about learning to have a more conscious and sustainable relationship with the food we eat. Food waste can be reduced or eliminated by being smarter about what products we buy. In addition to this we can affect more positive change by concentrating more on the recycling of packaging. So what are some concrete steps you can take if you’re interested in the zero waste trend? One step you can take is to make sure to eat what you have in your kitchen before it expires. You can buy many things such as fruits and vegetables without packaging at many stores and markets. Participating in food sharing programs is also a great option, or even finding out what bakeries, cafés, and restaurants in your area offer leftovers at reduced prices. At home you can be sure to properly sort the waste you have. Waste bins with different compartments are a practical way to sort paper, plastic, and so on. A smaller bin for food leftovers that you can empty more often is an additional practical way to sort your waste.Clever Waste Bins for Your Kitchen
Locally Exotic - Culinary Treasures from your Region
Eating locally was part of the nutritional trends in 2021, and there was a more conscious focus on buying and consuming regional and seasonally grown products. Even now we want to remain more local and sustainable, where we think twice before picking up some avocados, mangos, or pineapples at the supermarket. The Local Exotic trend should be a solution to the conflict between our desire to eat exotic foods and our desire to be ecologically conscious. Research taking place in agriculture is working on possibilities of regional production of fruits, spices, vegetables, and even meat. In Germany and Austria for example, there are already cases of exotics foods being produced locally. Some of these examples include shrimp, saffron, chia seeds, and rice. So there is nothing that is stopping us already from making new culinary discoveries close to home. As if there weren’t already many great reasons to do try out some new recipes or do some shopping for the kitchen!Handy Kitchen Utensils
Real Omnivores - We Eat Everything
It’s 2022, and not only do we want to eat healthy, but we also want to be responsible about what we eat. Next to our own health, the health of the planet also plays a role. The Real Omnivores, or those who “eat everything” seek to stay true to eating a balanced and diverse diet, while not forgetting about being ethically conscious and living in an environmentally friendly way. One does not necessarily have to give up meat, but it’s important to be conscious about what we eat. Real omnivores are open about new technologies in the area of food production, including fruits, vegetables, and animal farming. Jelly fish chips, vanilla from plastic, lab-grown meat may sound like a brave new world, but they are options people will gladly explore if it can have a positive impact on the climate. However, beyond that the basics of what we eat is also being rethought. For example, you can reduce your consumption of meat to once or twice a week, try meat and milk alternatives, or focus more on buying organic products. In the future what is going to be on the “real omnivore’s menu” will be a mix of the foods we already know well, as well as plant-based alternatives, nuts and seeds, algae, snails, insects, and farm-free food. Try it out, explore, and enjoy!Our Top Cooking Utensils
Vegetables Gourmets and E-Food
The changes we are experiencing in the cultural aspects of how we eat have shown themselves in our increased consumption of vegetables, and also in giving up meat and milk products. Vegetarian and vegan options will make a good portion of the menu, and purely vegetable based dishes will increasingly move into our focus. While the vegetable gourmet trend is moving into restaurants, E-Foods are also making an impact in our personal choices. E-Foods serve as a way to find a smart solution for delivery services from restaurants, meal-kits, and grocery delivery services. Changes in how we make contacts and how we connect have also made lasting changes to our eating behaviours, and how and where we buy our food. Apps that allow us to order almost anything at any time right to our homes are changing our eating and cooking habits, as well as affecting how the gastronomy sector works.Looking for more kitchen ideas?
Then discover even more inspiring articles with recipes and kitchen hacks in our Relax Mag.
