With every passing day, there seems to be another trend on the horizon. Many include dieting, exercise, and even some drinking trends. As we dive further into 2020 I felt the need to find out more about the trends for the year.
1. Dry January
Evidently, there are hoards of people around the world that are vowing not to drink alcoholic beverages during the month of January. The idea is that they will continue the trend throughout the year. More likely than not I predict that people may not completely stop consuming alcoholic beverages once “dry January” is over but, that they may find the need to drink to excess less.
I have chosen my own spin on this trend, not to fit in, but to benefit my health. I will not have alcohol in my home on a constant basis. My hope is that this will help reduce my daily consumption and ultimately help me lose some weight.
One way to join in on this craze is by making mocktails in place of cocktails. Here is an example.
Lemon Basil Spritzer
Ingredients
If Making Simple Syrup (otherwise skip to step 3)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Spritzer recipe:
- 3 leaves fresh basil
- 2 lemon wedges
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup or 4-5 drops liquid stevia
- 3/4 cup cold sparkling water
- basil leaves or lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- If using simple syrup, place water and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil, lower and simmer for 6 minutes. Allow to cool. If using liquid stevia, skip this step
- To make the drink: place a few basil leaves and 2 lemon wedges in the bottom of glass, muddle, crushing the lemon wedges and basil together
- Add lemon juice and either simple syrup or stevia drops, and muddle more. Then pour tonic water into a glass.
- Add a few ice cubes, and garnish with additional basil and lemon wedges if desired.
2. Breakfast at fast-food restaurants
It has been predicted that the year 2020 will be a big boom for people to seek out their favorite fast-food restaurants for breakfast. Over the course of the last year or so many (if not all) of the fast-food, chains have started offering breakfast menu items in addition to their regular menu items. It is thought that customers will be drawn to this more so in the year 2020.
I predict that fast-food restaurants may also see a surge due to some of them now offering plant-based burgers as an alternative to their original beef burger patties.
3. Flexitarianism
In my research for trends in 2020, I read about people that identify as flexitarian. Apparently, this is a group of people that purchase or cook plant-based products and foods but have not completely eliminated meat products from their diets either. If you scratching your head and thinking, “isn’t that a regular diet?” then trust me you are not alone! I read about egalitarianism and truly thought it sounded like what most nutritionists would label a healthy diet!
According to www.choosemyplate.com, the general dietary guidelines are as follows:
- ½ plate should be fruits and vegetables
- Protein should vary and be smaller portions compared to fruits and vegetables
- At least half grains should be whole grains
- Vary vegetables
4. Gnocchi
This pillowy food is said to gain popularity in the year 2020 because it can be made and bought in several ways including kale gnocchi and cauliflower gnocchi. Traditionally, gnocchi is a potato-based food that is typically used like pasta.
