Healthy Food Trends for 2007
From dark chocolate to big organic, healthy food trends in 2007 will change the way we eat.
Dec 15, 2006
1) Goodbye Trans Fats. Hello Omega 3s.
Trans fats are so 2006. Now that food labels include trans fats and New York has banned trans fats from restaurants, I expect the next big thing in healthy food trends to be an even stronger focus on healthy fats, especially the omega 3 fatty acids.
We've already seen products like eggs, cereal and olive oil enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. Can potato chips and cookies be far behind?
2) Organic Goes Even Bigger-Time.
When Wal-Mart announces that it will double its organic food offerings, as it did earlier this year, you know organic has gone big time.
There's debate about whether or not Wal-Mart's entry into the world of organic is a good thing, but one thing's for sure. There's no stopping the trend toward organic. From macaroni and cheese to Rice Krispies, expect to see organic foods everywhere.
The question is are these foods healthier? Certainly, if you're talking about poultry or milk or produce, organic food is healther, as it contains no pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. But organic Pop-Tarts? Hmmm...something tells me a conventionally-grown banana is better for you.
3) Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Everywhere, But Is It Healthy to Eat?
There's no question that there have been a multitude of reports citing the health benefits of consuming dark chocolate. For those of us who love chocolate (and I am at the top of the list), this was reason to celebrate. Unfortunately, many of these studies are preliminary.
Still, that won't stop food manufacturers from jumping on the dark chocolate bandwagon. Nestle recently introduced a premium line of 53% and 62% chocolate chips and bars. Expect to see more kinds of dark chocolate on grocery shelves in the year ahead, and more dark chocolate in snack foods and desserts.
Personally, I love the stuff. But moderation is the healthy way to go.
4) Superfoods go exotic.
We love to hunt for the holy grail of health food. Not content to eat just a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, we're constantly searching for the one magic health food that will taste great and do wonders for our overall well-being.
A few years ago, blueberries were the superfood du jour. Then came pomegranates, green tea, white tea, salmon (but not farm-raised), walnuts and more. Next year, I predict superfoods will trend toward the exotic fruits, like acai, and grains, like quinoa (though quinoa is technically a pseudo-grain, but it looks, cooks and tastes like a grain, so we'll just leave it at that.)
Both are just packed with nutrition and taste delicious. Expect to see more foods made with acai (the fruit deteriorates rapidly after being harvested, so outside of South America, you'll see it mostly bottled in juices or available in frozen or powdered form) and more recipes for quinoa, including my quinoa butternut squash gratin.
5) Welcome Back Carbs!
Okay, healthy food trend watchers have been predicting the downfall of low carb diets for a few years now, and it hasn't really happened.
Yet.
It reminds me of when I used to edit investment publications. When all the newspapers and TV broadcasters were telling people to buy, we took it as a sure sign the market was topping out, and it was really time to sell. Similarly, once products like protein water hit the shelves, you have to assume the whole high-protein diet thing is over.
Think about it. There's been a huge trend toward more artisan cheeses. Do you honestly think people are eating these cheeses atop a bun-less hamburger? Hardly.
Welcome back bread. We missed you. We knew it was only a matter of time.
