We’ve come a long, long way since sliced toast bread, right? But it still seems like we’re far away from rehydrating food pellets like in “Star Trek” or “Back to the Future”. There are some 2017 food innovations that take us closer to our culinary future.
We’re just starting to understand just how deeply food affects us and our well-being. Eating still isn’t an exact science, to be sure, but we’re really getting there as a species, thanks to our ever-growing access to pertinent information and cold hard facts. What does the future have in store for us? We think that these following 2017 food innovations are a glimpse behind the curtain.
2017 food innovations we’re intrigued by
1. Edible water bottles
We all know that we have a huge plastic pollution problem, especially since we’re all having bottled water every day. So a solution to that could be an awesome breakthrough. 38 billion plastic bottles are thrown in the garbage in the United States every year.
Enter Ooho!, a water container that’s made from plants and seaweed and it’s also edible! It doesn’t need nearly as many resources to produce as usual plastic water bottles. I just want to enthusiastically yell: “Woohooo!” The bottle is biodegradable in six weeks’ time, it can be flavored and colored. It requires five times less carbon dioxide and 9 times less energy to produce as opposed to PETs.
2. The home recycler
The Whirlpool Zera Home Recycler is all you need if you want to get your fix of recycling and composting at home. Especially since all of the options you have available right now are either smelly, messy, or way too much work to be fit into your busy schedule.
Not only that but this machine, that doesn’t even occupy too much space in your kitchen, has a very fast recycling process. You just place the food scraps in the machine and 24 hours later, you have prime fertilizer. It even works for meats and dairy, which usually can’t be composted. The Zera can recycle about 95 percent of your food waste. And considering that the average American family creates 400 pounds of waste a year, that is huge progress!
3. Food for your dental needs
This natural tea drink can keep the dentist away! And who loves going to the dentist, am I right? The science checks out on “qii”, a drink created by inventor Ted Jin this year. Qii neutralizes acidity in your mouth, kills bacteria, and freshens your breath.
When your teeth are exposed to acids, that can lead to the erosion of the enamel of your teeth, and the middle layer of your chompers, dentin. Most commercial beverages have a higher acidity than the surfaces of your teeth. Which leads to cavities and a host of a lot more problems. Qii has a neutral pH – acidity.
4. The Impossible Burger
This might be my favorite of the food innovations. If you love great burgers, like me, but would really love to be kinder to the planet, like me, then you’re living a paradox. There’s no possible way there’s a product out there that satisfies both needs, right? That’s where the Impossible Burger comes in. A startup called Impossible Foods created an entirely plant-based burger patty that looks, tastes, and even seems to bleed like a beef patty.
It’s important because raising cows to get meat covers too much land on the planet, it consumes way too much water and is heavy on the pollution. The company has spent five years researching the smell, the look, and the juiciness of the burgers to give you a not only acceptable alternative but a delicious one!
5. The calorie camera tracker
Can you think of anything simpler than taking a photo of food with your phone and then finding out the number of calories almost instantaneously? Well, we introduce you to the app Lose It! and their new feature, Snap It. This app uses image recognition technology to identify the food on your plate and report the number of calories you’re about to ingest.
The Snap It tool even identifies multiple food items on your plate. Then you can see how many calories are in each and every one of them. That sounds fabulous and diet-friendly!
