Food Trends That Are About To Take Over 2023

If you haven't noticed already, there's been an increase in ways to preserve the earth for future generations. In other words, it's what the EPA calls sustainability.

This isn't like a fad diet or horrible fashion trend that you wish would go away. It's more like a philosophy you should abide by if you care about the current and future welfare of the planet and the creatures that inhabit it. According to Active Sustainability, there are three pillars of sustainability that need to be addressed on a global scale: environmental, social, and economic. But getting everyone on the same page is kind of a feat in itself. Environmental sustainability entails conservation, using renewable resources, eating zero-waste foods, and being thoughtful about sustainable architecture and travel.

For example, at the time this article was published, the 2021-2022 fishing season for red king crab was canceled, as noted on Seafood Source. The reason? Dwindling biomass, or rather, too little numbers of mature females and too many mature males. This number has apparently been on a steady decline since 2019. If you purchase sustainable seafood (or meat products in general), you're helping maintain the population and also aiding in ecosystem preservation. Social sustainability means all cultures have access to good healthcare, education, and quality of life. Economic sustainability means that the above sustainable practices generate a profit for all individuals. All types of sustainability are on the rise for 2023.

Non-alcoholic cocktails, wines, and other normally boozy beverages may sound oxymoronic, but, according to Forbes, consuming alcohol-free drinks is trending on an upward swing. Over the pandemic, society as a whole became more aware of how food and drinks truly affect your body, and abstaining from alcohol was one of those main topics.

But what are you supposed to do if you want to engage in some social drinking but don't want to possibly overindulge (or have volunteered as the designated driver)? That's where nootropics come in. When broken down, the word "noos" pertains to "mind," while "tropein" means "to monitor," reports ScienceDirect. Also called cognitive enhancers, as noted by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, these synthetic substances are both prescription-based (like Adderall), and also available over the counter. Ginkgo, B12, 5-HTP, L-Theanine, bacopa, and even caffeine and are all considered to be nootropics and are being added to different drinkable concoctions so that you can have a nootropic brewskie without having to worry about making decisions that only alcohol has the ability to convince you to do. Plus, nootropic bevs are toted as helping improve memory as well as knock down your stress levels. Grand Market Research report that the nootropics market, in general, is expected to reach over $29 billion by 2028, with drinkable cognitive helpers leading the nootropic trend, so expect to see them chillin' next to your vitamin C supplements for a while.

These unassuming legumes are pretty much known for being the main ingredient in hummus (which literally translated means "chickpea"). They're also pretty neutral when it comes to flavor and color, are gluten-free, low fat, high in protein, and pretty inexpensive, writes Healthline. Their wide availability makes them a great source for individuals following a plant-based diet, or those of you looking to add a bit of variety into your foodie world. Chickpeas are also high in fiber, zinc, choline, magnesium, and folate.

On the sustainability front, chickpeas are a favored crop by farmers. This is because these little legumes excel at returning nitrogen back to the soil, which means bigger, better, healthier crops. Because these little powerhouses are so good at making soil happy, they're often used as rotational crops, writes Vegconomist. The liquid that canned chickpeas swim in is called aquafaba. This rather flavorless brine can actually be used as an egg substitute in baked goods and even whipped up for meringues. You'll never look at a can of garbanzo beans the same way again.

It's time to stop turning your nose up at these fantastic fungi because, frankly, they're pretty magical. (But not in the way you're thinking.) Sure, some of them taste like dirt, but once you cook them with other flavorful herbs and spices, the humble fungus will be transformed. According to Mushroom Appreciation, there are over 10,000 different varietals that we know about, and many more that we don't. They're classified into four subtypes, which dictate how they feed: saprotrophs, mycorrhizae, parasites, and endophytes. Saprotrophs live off of decaying matter and help break things down. Morels, buttons, shiitake, and cremini are a few that fall under this category. Mycorrhizae — truffles, porcini, and chanterelles — like to hang out with other plants and trees and help them grow bigger and stronger, while their foliage friend feeds them sugars and nutrients. Parasites are what the name suggests. They prefer a one-sided relationship, which isn't very nice, but they still taste delicious. (We're looking at you, Lion's Mane.) Endophytes are somewhat alien fungi that share classifications.

Mushrooms are being used in everything from textiles to food to packaging and even water capturing, says Engineering & Technology. They're also being utilized as the main ingredient for much plant-based seafood. HEALabel notes that mushrooms have almost no carbon footprint, and Lacademie writes that they could even be beneficial for treating depression.

Have you heard of a butter board? It's like a charcuterie board, but not really.

A butter board has three basic needs: a wooden serving or cutting board, a dizzying amount of butter, and something to dip into it. Crostini, pita, and breadsticks are all options. Once you've acquired these three items, the remaining ingredients are up to you. You can leave your butter board simple by adding a bit of flaky sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and lemon zest. Or go the polar opposite way and get complex, like this Tandoori butter board by Naturally Nidhi.

According to The New York Times, the butter board trend originated on TikTok and quickly escalated from showcasing an otherwise overlooked ingredient, to other individuals taking the idea and running with it. Moreover, Forbes reports that there are a few health hazards associated with this trend-tastic tasting board. If the board you're using hasn't been sealed or has any cracks, you're tempting bacteria to make themselves at home, create a family, and invite food poisoning into your life. If you're hosting a party and have one of these on display, you'll have to watch out for double dippers and flying foes (like bugs or pet fur). Plus, that's just really a lot of butter to eat.

Fermented foods have long been sought after for their probiotic and overall health benefits, and are seeing another upswing in popularity, according to SpoonShot. But although these funkalicious foods have already seen a rise and fall in interest over the past decade (give or take), this time around, they're not necessarily showing up in their true form, and they're also arriving with a compatible flavor partner. Remember that swicy flavors were projected to be big in 2023? Another trending taste will purportedly be a fusion of sweet combined with funky fermentation flavors (umami).

When we talk about fermented foods, you might automatically think of sauerkraut or some sort of pickled vegetable. But foods like miso are projected to hit it big in 2023. McCormick Flavor Solutions has released a line of blended seasonings that combine rich, sweet, and decadent with the salty, umami-forward miso. A 2018 release by The Fermentation Association projected that fermented foods and flavors were expected to rise (like a sourdough starter) from over $635 billion to upwards of $888 billion by 2023. These sometimes beneficial foods are also incredibly sustainable, writes Yogurt in Nutrition, because creating these sometimes odoriferous foods reduces food waste and brings nutrient-rich foods to communities that are strapped for resources and financially burdened.

The ancient Greeks knew a thing or two about eating and drinking (and we're not just talking about, what the Historical Index calls, a Dionysian Bacchanalia). You might've heard of Hippocrates, otherwise known as the father of modern medicine, per Britannica. This is the guy who supposedly coined "let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food," or something like that, adds Science Direct. Well, Hippocrates lived over 2,400 years ago, so you'd think that we would've taken his advice by now. Instead, we're over there mowing down on processed lunch meats, deep-fried Twinkies, and, well, you get the idea.

But at least we in the U.S. are finally beginning to understand that food is medicine, right? (It only took a modern-day pandemic to really hit it this concept home.) While we live in a culture that's rather obsessed with all sorts of wacky diets, you can expect that 2023 will be the major turning point for using foods to help heal the body and improve overall health and wellness. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there was, and continues to be, a surge of interest in functional foods, which Healthline defines as foods that not only feed you but also heal you. This trend doesn't show any signs of slowing down. So also be on the lookout for food and beverages that are infused with adaptogens, like ashwagandha, and even CBD, writes Flavor Sum.