Retrospect: the 10 food trends of 2018

The end of 2018 is in sight. Traditionally I look back every year on the food trends of the year. What kept us busy this year? What were the discussions about? At this my top 10 of 2018.

10. Lectin

A big hype in America that has come over to the Netherlands. Cardiologist and cardiac surgeon Steven Gundry warns us about lectin. In his new book 'The plant paradox' he writes about the dangers of this substance. Lectin is a  vegetable protein . It belongs to the plant toxins. These are toxins that occur naturally in certain plants. But is Lectine really that bad for us? You read about lectin in this article .

9. National prevention agreement

The national prevention agreement was published on 23 November . The goal of this agreement is to make the Netherlands healthier. This due to different agreements about nutrition, alcohol and smoking. Despite the probably good intentions of the government, there is already a lot of comment on this agreement. For example, the food industry would have had too much say in the agreement. In addition, the agreements may not be strong enough. Research by the RIVM shows that the goals of the agreement will not be achieved in this way.

8. Cancer prevention

The new guidelines for cancer prevention were published this year. The report was based on hundreds of scientific studies. The researchers conclude from this that 40% of the cancer cases can be prevented. Of course there are no guarantees. But the guidelines can reduce the chance of cancer. Read more about this in  this article about reducing the risk of cancer.

7. Nutrition as a treatment

No pills, but a healthy lifestyle as a treatment and to prevent illness. The association doctor and nutrition that is committed to this is already established in 2016. Yet I have the idea that this year of treatment has received more attention. Instead of a pill for your high cholesterol or blood pressure, adjust your diet first. Or reverse type 2 diabetes by exercising more and losing weight. These are examples of a healthy lifestyle as a treatment. A nice development of our health care.

6. Vegetable pizza bottoms and legume spaghetti

They were unable to get in this year. And the range is getting bigger! I am talking about cauliflower pizzas, broccoli list, zucchini and lentil paste. An alternative is coming up for more and more carbohydrate-rich products. Why am I so enthusiastic about these products? They help you to get more vegetables more easily!

In addition, they are generally lower in energy and rich in fiber. So they can help with weight loss or with a low carbohydrate diet . Please note: for safety's sake, check the label for the nutritional values. For example, pizza bottoms of vegetables still contain a lot of calories because they only consist partly of vegetables.

5. Less alcohol

Alcohol-free beer is becoming increasingly popular. Nearly half of all beer drinkers consciously choose beer with less alcohol. Sales of alcohol-free beer have increased by a quarter this year. The increasing popularity of non-alcoholic beverages is due to consumer awareness. The adverse effects of alcohol are becoming increasingly clear. In addition, the supply of alcohol-free beer is becoming wider. The use of non-alcoholic wine is still somewhat behind. But who knows, in 2019 we will all switch to the wine without alcohol.

4. Energy drink under the spell

If there was a lot of discussion this year, it was the use of energy drinks. And especially the use of children. This is because it becomes increasingly clear how unhealthy these drinks are. They can lead to an overload of the heart and fatal cardiac arrhythmias. The development of the nervous system in children can also be negatively affected by these drinks.

Doctors therefore called for a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children. Many supermarkets went along with this. For example, Aldi and Lidl do not sell energy drinks to children under the age of 14.

3. Save the dietitian

2018 is the year that the dietitian revolts against the health insurers. After all, there is a considerable cutback on the dietitian from the health insurance. Despite the fact that more and more attention is paid to nutrition as a medicine. It has been proven that every euro spent on dietetics earns the state treasury 63 euros. Nevertheless, the hourly rate of the dietitian has not changed for 10 years. The recent new contracts were the last drop. Telephone consultations and indirect time that are no longer reimbursed.

On top of that, you are obliged to examine customer satisfaction, which the dietician has to pay for and has to perform in her own time. The dietician rebels. As well as physiotherapists and speech therapists. The care is sick. I hope that next year I can look back on a major change in the current healthcare system. ]

2. Pioppi diet

Since the broadcast in October of the program 'The doctors of tomorrow' about the Pioppi diet, the whole of the Netherlands was in turmoil again. Do we all have to eat as the inhabitants of the village of Pioppi in Italy? The book about the Pioppi diet was in any case soon after the broadcast in the bestseller list. But whether this book matches the actual diet in Pioppi? You can read my opinion about the Pioppi diet in  this article .

1.Plant food

The national week without meat, meatless monday, the last campaign of the Nutrition Center. In recent years, much attention has been paid to a vegetable diet. And this year too much attention has been paid to it. The impact of a diet with a lot of meat on health and the environment is becoming clearer. The benefits of a vegetable diet are increasingly being highlighted. The number of people who eat vegetarian or even vegan food is increasing. A trend that I expect will continue in 2019.