More instead of less, fiber in abundance and the revival of the frozen meal: 2026 will be an interesting year on our plates. Nutritionist Michaël Sels predicts the most important trends, dispels misconceptions about nutrition and explains why your good intentions need an update.
There is a good chance that ‘eating healthier’ will again be high on your list of good intentions this year, but between dream and reality there are store shelves full of ultra-processed food and an environment that makes healthy choices difficult. ‘There is no shortage of ambition, but many people lack the knowledge and the right context to make their good intentions successful,’ says nutritionist Michaël Sels.
Why do we see the same good intentions return every year?
Table of Contents
- Why do we see the same good intentions return every year?
- How do you create such an environment?
- Many people in January long for a kind of reset after the holidays. Is a detox or a month without alcohol useful?
- Instead of banning sugar, fat or alcohol, advocate adding things to your diet. Why does that approach work better?
- Many people feel sluggish, uncomfortable or bloated after the holidays, which sometimes leads to low self-esteem. How do you deal with that?
- More and more people keep track of their food consumption via all kinds of apps. Are you in favor of that?
- Which foods will find a permanent place on our plates this year?
- Social media also plays an increasingly important role in what we eat or drink. Which hypes will we welcome this year and what will gradually fade away?
- Will the further spread of weight-loss medications have an impact on how we eat?
- Is there any nutritional advice that has recently become completely outdated?
- As soon as the end-of-year indigestion is behind us, we will want to go to a restaurant again. Will our restaurant visits look different in 2026?
Michaël Sels: Because when it comes to nutrition, we don’t necessarily act based on what we know rationally. We overestimate the power of motivation and we underestimate the impact of our environment. A large part of our behavior is environmentally oriented and we live in a society that encourages unhealthy choices and behavior.
The intention to eat less sugar is hopeless if you are confronted with a large bowl of sweets at work every day. More efficient than making the same resolutions over and over again is looking at how you can create an environment that makes healthy behavior fun and easy.
“If such a quick fix didn’t work last year and the year before that, why would this year be any different?”
How do you create such an environment?
Sels: In an ideal world we drive to the organic farmer to pick an unsprayed apple from the tree and eat it mindfully, but in reality we rarely have the time for that. If I want to eat fruit between two consultations, I won’t cut a mango. Instead, I buy pre-cut mango cubes at the supermarket. That is not the tastiest or freshest mango and also generates plastic waste. Yet that is the best choice for me, because otherwise there is a good chance that I will reach for a cookie from the vending machine. Sometimes it is a matter of not setting the bar too high for yourself.
Convenience is preferred over idealism. That’s also why more grated than regular carrots are sold in supermarkets these days. Ten years ago we thought the additional cost of cut vegetables was ridiculous, but now it is the norm for some vegetables. The industry has an important role to play in this regard. Tempting always works better than forbidding. Food manufacturers must make it easy and attractive to eat healthy.
Many people in January long for a kind of reset after the holidays. Is a detox or a month without alcohol useful?
Sels: On January 1, people are very motivated to make changes. They embark on a month-long juice diet or temporarily eliminate desserts and alcoholic drinks. That in itself is not a problem, but you cannot expect that two weeks without sugar will drastically reduce the risk of colon cancer. For that you need sustainable changes.
One in two Belgians is overweight. Those extra kilos are not the result of eating a lot between Christmas and New Year, but of the unhealthy habits between New Year and Christmas. It makes more sense to focus on your daily food intake than on events such as the end-of-year parties or a holiday in Ibiza. That really won’t ruin your health. And besides, if such a quick fix didn’t work last year and the year before that, why would this year be any different?
Instead of banning sugar, fat or alcohol, advocate adding things to your diet. Why does that approach work better?
Sels: For a long time we assumed that eating healthier was a matter of cutting back. Less fat, sugar, alcohol or fewer times when we eat. All that cutting out doesn’t work, otherwise we wouldn’t have seen so many diets in the past twenty years. Such diets achieve the fun factor eating out. I really don’t know anyone who gets wildly enthusiastic about a life without sugar. As humans, we eat not only to nourish ourselves, but also to broaden our culinary horizons or to sit around the table together. A sustainable diet takes this into account.
By adding things instead of deleting them, you benefit from the displacement effect. For example, in a recipe with minced meat, replace half of the meat with legumes. This way you eat more fiber and less processed meat, without the taste of your dish immediately changing drastically. The meat industry is fully engaged in this. In the supermarket you can buy hybrid minced meat: it consists of 70 percent meat and 30 percent, for example, mushrooms. Combinations of cow’s milk and plant-based milk are also created. Such things are important. Consumer research shows that vegan food has recently suffered reputational damage. In a study that presented identical Indian meatballs to a test panel, the ‘vegan’ version received a 6 out of 10, the ‘regular’ an 8 out of 10. Simply changing the label therefore gives a different rating. Hybrid versions require less mental flexibility, while they do make a difference to our health.
‘Emo food is so much more than crying while eating a jar of Ben & Jerry’s after a breakup.’
Many people feel sluggish, uncomfortable or bloated after the holidays, which sometimes leads to low self-esteem. How do you deal with that?
Sels: That feeling can be a trigger to examine your lifestyle or possibly discuss it with a professional. What role does nutrition play in your life? Is food functional, or also emotional? Emo food is so much more than crying while eating a jar of Ben & Jerry’s after a breakup. It is also the coffee break with cinnamon bun after a difficult meeting with your boss. Try to figure out exactly why you eat and see what you can tinker with.
If you want to change certain behavioral patterns, you have the greatest chance of success if you start with functional eating moments that are not linked to emotion. For example, think of your breakfast on a working day. This must be fast, generate little washing up and provide energy. It is not a social moment, not something you want to enjoy intensely or broaden your culinary horizons. Replacing your daily croissant with coffee with a bowl of oatmeal is therefore simpler than exchanging your portion of fries with the family for a homemade salad on Friday evening. When it comes to healthy eating, people often fall into one all-or-nothing thinking, but there are many degrees. The gain lies in embracing imperfection.
More and more people keep track of their food consumption via all kinds of apps. Are you in favor of that?
Sels: Keeping track of your habits briefly and thoroughly can be useful, but for many people this is a challenge that they cannot maintain for very long. The same applies to smartwatches and pedometers: after a few weeks, fatigue sets in. Consistently keeping a food diary can be useful because most people underestimate the number of eating moments in a day. That praline with coffee or that coke at four o’clock are quickly forgotten.
‘Fiber is the new holy grail of the food industry.’
Which foods will find a permanent place on our plates this year?
Sels: Fiber is the new holy grail of the food industry. I predict that after the protein hype, we will mainly focus on fiber in the coming year. They are vital for healthy intestines. Science is finding more and more evidence that the intestinal microbiome is not only important for digestion, but also has a major impact on brain function and the development of diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s. It also plays a role in cancer research. At the UZA we are currently investigating why immunotherapy only works for a limited number of cancer patients. People who have recently taken antibiotics generally do not respond to that therapy. We want to check if pre- and probiotic nutrition increases the chance that the treatment will be effective (prebiotics are indigestible fibres, food for the living bacteria in the intestines (the probiotics), postbiotics are substances produced by the probiotics during digestion, ed.).
‘I really don’t know anyone who gets wildly enthusiastic about a life without sugars.’
Fibers will gain a kind of star status in the near future. Products that are good for your intestines will continue to gain popularity. Think sourdough bread, kombucha, fermented vegetables, hojicha tea. In addition to antibiotics, pre-, pro- and postbiotics will also have a more important place in our daily diet. After all, a healthy intestinal tract is a healthy head: research shows that about 80 percent of our serotonin is produced in our intestines, and not in our brain. Our intestines do so much more than just digesting food.
Fancy ready meals will also make an appearance, both fresh and frozen. I suspect that supermarkets will expand their range with semi-finished products that can easily be transformed into a healthy meal. I hope the industry will give healthy eating a better image through marketing. Albert Heijn, for example, organized a campaign for De Warmste Week in which the proceeds from their soup packages went to charity. Such actions are important and have much more impact than, for example, a report from the Supreme Health Council with the advice to eat more legumes.
Sels: I suspect that the love for Dubai chocolate will gradually cool down, just like the enormous popularity of pistachio. I also think that South Korean cuisine will appear more and more on our feeds. I predict that next winter the crumble with custard will make its appearance as the ultimate end-of-year dessert, because it is tasty and very photogenic. Bitter flavors will also become slightly more dominant, both in vegetable menus and on the cocktail menus.
Social media can cause the popularity of certain products to skyrocket, but the reverse also applies. Our meat consumption is once again on the rise, at the expense of plant-based products. This can partly be explained by our obsession with proteins and the increasing awareness of ultra-processed foods, but the carnivore hype on social media also plays a role.
Will the further spread of weight-loss medications have an impact on how we eat?
Sels: The use of weight loss medication will increase and further innovation will take place. I hope that in addition to reimbursing medication, the government will also focus on lifestyle guidance. This trend will probably translate into the return of smaller portions on our plates. At a restaurant, but also in the supermarket, cinema and even in the coffee bar. A 125 milliliter coffee used to be normal, but now people order one frappuccino with soy milk which is at least twice as large. The same applies to soft drinks in vending machines: you now often find half-liter PET bottles instead of cans. It would be good if we return to more modest portions.
Is there any nutritional advice that has recently become completely outdated?
Sels: I am deeply annoyed by the online commotion about seed oils that are allegedly carcinogenic. That’s absolute nonsense, such oils fit perfectly into a healthy diet. Myths like that create absurd fears and distract from what matters.
As soon as the end-of-year indigestion is behind us, we will want to go to a restaurant again. Will our restaurant visits look different in 2026?
Sels: Affordability and experience will become more important. Going to a restaurant costs a lot of money, so affordable concepts that still provide a restaurant experience will become more popular. Things like Balls & Glory and Pureto, or the hipper smashburger restaurants that you see in many places now. In the higher price range there will be more focus on experience. Think of dishes that are finished at the table, a tea ceremony or a tour of the kitchen. At a restaurant we no longer just go for the taste, but also for the experience.
Michael Sels
1989: Born in Lier.
2010: Graduates as a clinical dietitian from Thomas More University of Applied Sciences.
2013: Obtains a postgraduate degree in oncological nutrition (KH Leuven).
2014-2024: Head dietitian at the University Hospital in Antwerp.
2020 and 2021: Writes two books with Pelckmans, Have a nice long life in Have a nice long life 2.
2025: Receives the Sixth Vijs from the SKEPP (Study Circle for Critical Evaluation of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal) for his scientifically substantiated and nuanced contributions to the public debate.
michaelsels.be
