WELLNESS TREND: BOWLS

Spotted on National Restaurant Associations Top 20 Food Trends and Eaters Top Trends (#9) for 2017, this concept is also popping up on
Instagram and Pinterest, pulling together larger trends featured on Global Wellness Summit, Mind Body Green, and Well + Good: healthy
comfort food; anti-inflammatory foods; increased accessibility of healthy, sustainable foods to the general public; plant protein (legumes, tofu,
tempeh, seeds, nuts); mushrooms; seaweed; whole grains; and ethnic street food. In 2016, we saw an influx of the breakfast bowl (e.g.,
smoothie/acai bowl, oatmeal bowls). Now moving into savory territory with influences from ethnic flavor profiles (e.g., bibimbap, poke), these
bowls are trending under names like Buddha bowls, Macro bowls, vegan/veggie bowls, hippie bowls, grain bowls and warm bowls.

Below are examples of these bowls featured in a couple restaurant menus on the West Coast:

Figure 1. From M Caf menu (Los Angeles, CA) Figure 2. From Bounty Kitchen Menu (Queen Anne, Seattle)
 WELLNESS TREND: BOWLS
These bowls feature vegetables, whole grains (or a starch
MACRO BOWL like sweet potatoes), protein, fat (usually as part of the
dressing), and sometimes fermented foods. They focus on
plant-heavy foods. Well + Good described ratios for bowl
components in their article How to Make a Perfect
Macrobiotic Bowl. Macro bowls get their name from the
whole grain
Macrobiotics diet which focused on balancing the
vegetable macronutrients: Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat.
protein
fat As seen on the left, this handout slightly modifies Well +
Goods ratios to more closely resemble MyPlate:
fermented foods
Whole Grain | 30-40%
Vegetable | 45-60%
Protein | 15-20%
Fat | 5%
Fermented Foods, optional

WHOLE GRAINS include brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, farro, millet, or other ancient grains. Buckwheat soba noodles
or wild rice are other examples of options for this component.

Under the VEGETABLE component, multiple vegetable categories and cooking preparations include:
. Well + Good suggests 3 vegetable categories: Vegetable preparation falls into two categories:
Round | onions or squash Quick cooked | steaming or sauting
Leafy | kale, cabbage, arugula Long cooked | stewing
Root vegetables | turnips, carrots, radishes, beets

PROTEIN in macro bowls tends to be tempeh or tofu, but animal protein like chicken, beef, or fish, or other protein sources
like seeds, nuts and other legumes could also be used.

Macro bowls also feature sea vegetables fermented foods

like nori, hiziki, dulse, and such as kimchi and miso;
alternatively, sauerkraut or pickles might also be used. Both sea vegetables and fermented foods are trending this year as well.
 WELLNESS TREND: BOWLS
INTO THE CLASSROOM
These bowls could be used as a teaching tool to demonstrate
or assess student understanding of various cooking techniques or concepts:

Knife skills
Protein or vegetable cookery
Grains cookery
Sauces | chutneys, vinaigrettes, emulsion-based sauces, demi-glace, etc.
Nutrition | plant-based diet, describing macronutrients, balanced meals
Vegan/Vegetarian diet
Gluten free diet
Global Cuisines | ethnic flavor profiles
Introduction to soba noodles and sea vegetables or other ethnic foods
Incorporating food trends into restaurant menus

POSSIBLE STUDENT ASSIGNMENT OR PROJECT TO

HIGHLIGHT DIVERSITY IN FOODS:
Students could be assigned to create different bowl recipes using ethnic flavor
profiles and an assigned French cooking technique or knife cut. You might even
pick one as a class to feature as a menu item towards the end of the term!

Example: please view the attached project done for Bastyr Universitys Whole
Foods Cooking course as part of the Master of Science in Nutrition program.
This particular project featured bibimbap to illustrate meal balance.
 WELLNESS TREND: BOWLS
From Asian to Mexican to Italian, any cuisine can be adapted into a bowl!
Traditional French Cooking Techniques could be used in creating components for these bowls;
diversity could be incorporated by featuring ethnic flavor profiles.
NORTH AFRICAN (MOROCCAN) | Red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cilantro, mint, saffron, garlic, Trending Global Flavors
cinnamon, ginger, turmeric according to the NRA:
African Flavors
MIDDLE EASTERN | Allspice, oregano, marjoram, mint, sesame seeds, garlic, dill weed, cinnamon, cumin seeds,
coriander seeds, cilantro, anise seeds Middle Eastern Flavors
Latin American Flavors
LATIN AMERICAN | achiote, cilantro, cinnamon, cumin seeds, epazote, hoja santa, oregano, piloncillo, amaranth, Southeast Asian Flavors
beans, maize, pumpkin seeds, rice, jicama, potatoes, pumpkins, cassava, chayote, taro, yucca, avocados, queso fresco Ethnic Fusion Cuisine
Authentic Ethnic Cuisine
CHINESE | Ginger, anise seeds, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, star anise, five-spice powder (blend of star
Harissa
anise, Szechuan pepper, cinnamon, fennel, and clove)
Curry
THAI | lemongrass, galangal root, ginger, Thai basil, mint, kaffir lime leaves, lime, curry powder, turmeric, coriander Peri peri
seeds, chiles, garlic, cilantro, five-spice powder, red pepper flakes, bay leaves Ras el hanout
Shichimi
INDIAN | Red pepper flakes, chiles, saffron, mint, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cilantro, garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, Siracha
cinnamon, ginger, anise seeds, dill weed, cloves, maxe, cardamom seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, fenugreek, Sambal
curry powder Chimichurri
SPANISH | Saffron, paprika, garlic, parsley, cumin seeds Gochujang
Zhug
GREEK | Oregano, mint, garlic, cinnamon, dill weed, nutmeg Turmeric
Ethnic dips and spreads
GERMAN | caraway seeds, dill seeds and weed, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper, juniper berries, allspice, o Hummus
mustard seeds o Baba ganoush
HUNGARIAN | paprika, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, garlic, white pepper o Tzatziki
o dukkah
RUSSIAN | dill weed, cilantro, parsley, mint

ITALIAN| Garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, bay leaves, nutmeg, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, marjoram, References for flavor profiles:
1. The Professional Chef. 8th ed. The Culinary Institute
sage (and mint in Sicilian cooking) of America. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
2. Katz, Rebecca. The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen.
FRENCH | Tarragon, chervil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, saffron, bay leaves, garlic, green and pink peppercorns Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2009.
 WELLNESS TREND: BOWLS

LINKS TO RECIPES FOR FURTHER INSPIRATION

Bi Bim Bap is a traditional Korean one bowl meal.
To teach the braising technique, adapt the recipe to include kalbi braised short ribs

Thai Basil and Lemongrass Beef bowl

Vegan bowl

Buddha Bowl

Macro Bowl recipes:

http://keepinitkind.com/macro-bowl-turmeric-tahini-dressing/
http://www.dietitiandebbie.com/2015/07/28/how-to-make-a-macro-bowl/
https://www.brit.co/macro-bowls/

Mexican inspired bowl

Mediterranean inspired bowl