Everyone knows that what you eat can affect your weight. But did you know that your diet could also influence everything from your skin to your libido? While celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow have been curating their eating habits for years in order to achieve the perfect body, mind, and soul, recent Google Search data suggests that millennials, and the brands that cater to their desires, are beginning to follow suit.
According to "2016 Food Trends on Google: The Rise of Functional Foods," consumers are becoming more and more interested in so-called "functional foods." Functional foods are healthy ingredients that support physical wellbeing in a comprehensive way, from weight to mental health. While the idea of "dieting" traditionally focuses on eliminating foods, recent search data indicates that an increasing number of Americans are becoming interested in adding functional foods to their daily lives.
Some of the trendiest functional foods include apple cider vinegar, kefir, turmeric, avocado oil, and bitter melon. Experts suggest that these ingredients can support everything from “better skin, libido, and energy” to “cures for depression, insomnia, and pain.” Searches for turmeric alone have increased 300% over the past five years, as Americans research health benefits and recipes for including the ginger-like spice in their everyday meals.
Google isn’t the only one taking note of these trends, however. More and more brands have started to include functional foods in their ingredient lists, from grocery store merchandise to beauty products. Now you can get probiotics in your crackers and apple cider vinegar in your skin products!
While your grandmother may still believe that ketchup is a vegetable and a heaping spoonful of Jello salad counts as a serving of fruit, the rising popularity of functional foods suggests that the ingredients we put in our bodies are more important than we previously imagined. Next time you’re having a bad hair day or suffering from a cold, why not do a quick Google search and head to the grocery store? There’s probably a functional food for that too!