Sustainable Eating for You and the Planet in 2025

Last updated on 6 February 2026 by Brisbane Livewell Clinic Editorial Team

A healthy diet seems more relevant than ever in this day and age. While foods for immune health are in demand, it’s not just for our physical health that we are changing our eating styles. Food choices for the health of the planet are also relevant in the wake of climate change. The majority of the foods trending these days are plant-based, with collagen being the only exception.

Here’s our pick for recent top health food and drink trends.

Adaptogens

Completely aligned with natural medicine, adaptogens that have been utilised in herbal medicines for thousands of years are now appearing in food-grade products.

Albeit at lower doses, adaptogens offer the benefits of Food as Medicine for immunity and healthy stress response, helping to keep us ‘adaptable.’

Various kinds of Medicinal Mushrooms like Chaga, Lions Mane and Reishi are the best example for vitality and stress protecting effects, which are hallmark qualities of adaptogens. Expect to see coffee with added mushrooms, sold as ‘Mushroom Coffee’ in your local health food store.

Please note – Medicinal Mushrooms and Adaptogens are different from Magic Mushrooms (which are a hallucinogen).

Plant-based

Eating a diet rich in plants is what we advocate as natural medicine practitioners and it isn’t going unheard.

Rather than following a vegan or vegetarian diet, many people are adjusting their animal product intake, to eat less in the space of a day or week. Nicknamed ‘reducetarianism’ many people are happy to follow this diet principle for the sake of climate change.

This eating style will increase demand for new and interesting meatless products on the supermarket shelves more than just Meatless Mondays. Quality will come into question – so make sure to read the label and check that your meat-free option isn’t too full of cheap fillers like gluten.

Dairy-Free

Further to the plant-based movement, the demand for milk alternatives continues.

Some new innovations like potato milk are expected to appear this year, alongside greater quantities of nut milk like pecan, hazlenut and pistachio.

Another demand for dairy-free has spread into butter alternatives, using healthy spreads in place of margarine. Watermelon seed butter is the new kid on the block, alongside using nuts, seeds and chickpeas where butter once spread.

Zero Alcohol Beverages

Going Alcohol-free has never been easier socially, with an influx of non-alcoholic beverages already flooding the market (and supermarket).

And it’s not just beer and wine that’s been altered to taste great without the ethanol. Alcohol-free spirits are being produced using fruits, flowers and herbs to create new and exciting flavours.

Alcohol reduction or cessation is a big step towards better health and this trend is encouraging to see in the mainstream and for younger and older generations alike.

Collagen

Collagen has so much to offer that we’ve given it a blog of its own here.

Already pretty popular, new products are using collagen as an added ingredient to things like protein bars or bliss balls and anything associated with beauty and menopause.

Marine collagen has been recognised as the most eco-friendly option as it reduces food waste by utilising parts of the fish that would otherwise be discarded.