It’s a healthy tradition to take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re headed as a new year begins.
When it comes to food and nutrition trends, it’s fascinating to see annual changes in what’s hot and what’s not. Sorry, kale, we’re getting a bit burned out on you. Quinoa, we like you, but booming demand for a limited supply of your healthy ancient South American grain has pushed up the price. Brussels sprouts keep appearing on menus, and thanks to oven roasting, more folks are eating and enjoying this low-calorie, fiber-rich, cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetable.
Our love affair with all things “local” continues to go strong. The top of the list of 20 trends identified by the National Restaurant Association What’s Hot 2013 Chef Survey includes locally sourced meats, seafood and produce. So, look for more farms being identified on restaurant menus and look around the dining room — you may spot a farmer.
If a restaurant tends its own garden out back, or on the roof in the case of Ecco restaurant in Midtown, this is called “hyper-local sourcing.” Take a stroll along the Chattahoochee River bank at Canoe restaurant in Vinings, and you’ll find a vegetable garden complete with chickens and bees.
Consumer demand for figure-friendly and overall healthy foods when dining out continues to increase with requests for smaller portions for a smaller price and more healthful kids meals. The National Restaurant Association asked chefs, members of the American Culinary Federation, if they were making adjustments to dishes to make them healthier by cutting sodium and adding more fruits and vegetables. More than half said, “Yes, always.” Our compliments to the chefs!
Home canning comeback
One of the top spiking recipes searched on Yahoo in 2013 was for home canning. “It’s like pearls. They never go out of style,” says Martha McMillin, owner of Preserving Place, a retail store of house-made canned goods from sweet onion confit to lemon tomato jam, in Atlanta’s Westside Provisions District. McMillin’s pretty shop features a teaching kitchen and offers classes in home canning starting with Canning 101. She says, “I like to think I’m helping to spread the gospel of canning.”
Gluten-free not fading
Gluten-free menu items and food products continue to rock to the top of trend lists. Avoiding gluten is vital for those with a clinical disorder such as celiac disease. But there’s lack of evidence to support eliminating wheat or other gluten-containing grains will aid weight loss or other health improvements. Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are still chocolate chip cookies.
Nutrition know-how
Our appetite for diet information continues to be insatiable, according to a poll released by Today’s Dietitian magazine. According to 66 percent of the registered dietitians, consumers’ interest in nutrition and weight loss will only grow in 2014. That’s good news for this columnist. Here’s to a happy and healthy new year!
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