4 Future-Proof Foods

Seaweed
The slimy stuff of beachside childhood holidays has been transformed into a coveted cupboard ingredient in the last few years. Jamie Oliver has called it the “most nutritious vegetable in the world,” and it’s not hard to see why. A member of the algae family, this sea vegetable is packed full of calcium, folate and magnesium. It also contains the mineral iodine, which is hard to find elsewhere and critical to maintaining a healthy thyroid. Whilst consumers might be used to a slither of seaweed around their nori rolls, 2016 is set to be the year we see more liberal uses of seaweed go mainstream. It can be sprinkled into salads, soups and stir-fries, baked into bread or whizzed into a smoothie. As an island country, we have no shortage of seaweed and there are plenty of producers creating both raw and dried tasty seaweed snacks.

Insects
Crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms might sound like a nightmarish I’m A Celebrity-worthy challenge, but these crunchy critters are surely but slowly gaining popularity with foodies. Protein has become a particularly popular macronutrient in the last year or so, and, gram for gram, crickets provide over double the protein of beef. As demand for meat rises, cultivating insects for food makes more sense as they don’t use up the same level of resources as livestock. Despite this, Little Herds, a non-profit business based in America which champions the use of insects as food, says that the taboo still needs to be broken down because whilst 80% of the world views insects as normal food, us in Europe, Canada and the USA aren’t yet 100% convinced.  But think about sushi – that once seems a crazy addition to our western plate. Yet now it sits alongside, and competes, with ready-made cheese and pickle sandwiches as a lunch option.

Teff
Move over quinoa, there’s a new super food in town! Teff dates back to around 4000BC and comes from the Amharic word ‘teffa’, meaning lost, named due to the tiny size of the grain. And tiny they are – about the side of poppy seeds. Diminutive in size but certainly not in nutrients, they are jam-packed with nutrients and boast more calcium, copper, dietary fibre, manganese, thiamine, vitamin K and zinc than ‘superfood’ quinoa. Teff is also gluten-free, so can be used to make bread, pasta and even pizza bases, an attract prospect to the ever growing gluten-free market. You can buy Teff in various forms including flour and flakes as well as ready-made products such as milk and bread. With A-list fans including the likes of Victoria Beckham and health-conscious Gwyneth Paltrow, Teff is heading for the limelight.

Kale crisps
Kale has been the darling of the vegetable aisle for quite a while now – not surprisingly considering it’s been called the most nutrient-dense food on earth per calorie. Yet despite its impressive nutritional content, it can be a faff for consumers to prepare and cook (you’re supposed to “massage” it with oil, apparently). Kale crisps are a convenient way for customers to get all of the goodness without any of the time-consuming preparation. And kale crisps that have been air-dried are all the more appealing to the health conscious, as they are still considered a raw food (which supplies the body with enzymes and nutrients that would otherwise be destroyed if cooked all the way through). There are plenty of seasonings to choose from, from BBQ to Wasabi Wheatgrass.