2018 Food Trends to Inspire Your Smoothie Making Routine

Whole Foods recently unveiled the hottest food trends for 2018. The two trends we’re most excited about are floral flavors and super powders because they pair well with delicious and healthy frozen Wild Blueberries.

Floral ingredients, including whole flowers, petals and infused botanical flavors, will be used in everything from snacks to drinks like smoothies, lattes, teas and cocktails. Lavender, rose, and hibiscus will be top floral flavors in 2018.

Powders will continue to gain popularity because they are easy to incorporate into smoothies, lattes, baked good, bars, and soups, and they add that extra nutritional boost our bodies need. Expect to see more matcha, maca root and caca because of their energy boosting properties and anti-inflammatory extras like ground turmeric, spirulina, kale, herbs and other root powders. Protein powders will stay a big part of the mix but they have evolved to offer nutrients like skin- and hair- enhancing collagen, a great addition to any beauty routine.

Smoothies and winter may seem like an oxymoron but winter is actually a prime time of year for making immunity-boosting smoothies. According to Google trends, as we look for more ways to add healthy foods to our “New Year, New You” diets, smoothie recipe searches tend to peak in January and remain elevated through March. That’s because smoothies are an easy way to pack in a ton of nutrition in a convenient grab-and-go package that can help you stay healthy, satiated, and true to your mindful eating goals.

Here are three delicious Wild Blueberry smoothie recipes that feature two of 2018’s hottest foods trends.

This Wild Blueberry Lavender Smoothie from Amy Gorin of Amy Gorin Nutrition is scrumptious and calming. Lavender has been traditionally used to help ease panic and anxiety for thousands of years and after the craziness of the holiday season who doesn’t deserve a little stress relief? The Wild Blueberries have twice the antioxidants of regular blueberries, and we all know that eating an antioxidant-rich diet may help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases.

Like Wild Blueberries, matcha, powdered green tea leaves,  is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. This green powder, has also been found to boost metabolism or your fat burning engine. If you’re trying to maintain your weight or even lose a few pounds, add this easy to make, six-ingredient Wild Blueberry Green Tea Smoothie created by Kara Lydon, The Foodie Dietitian, to your morning routine.

While we ramp up our protein intake to stay full longer, many of us are also trying to cut back on sugar and reduce our craving for it. Luckily, there are a variety of foods that contain natural, unprocessed sugars that will help you curb your sweet tooth. Fruits like Wild Blueberries are one of those foods. This Wild Blueberry Breakfast Protein Smoothie from Danielle Omar of Food Confidence is the perfect pre-workout breakfast or post-workout recovery meal. It’s low in sugar and big on delicious Wild Blueberry flavor. Wild Blueberries have 32% less sugar and 72% more fiber in a single serving than regular blueberries.

Happy Blending and Happy New Year!