What's "In" and "Out" for Food in 2012

Food NavigatorUSA predicts a focus on general health and well-being, food quality and minimal processing in 2012.  Here’s their list of what is trending in and out this year and, of course, my opinion on it all.  

                                               

       Out                                                                       

Margarine   Margarine is gross; why not just eat a little butter?

Processed soy protein    Unprocessed soy products are superior in taste and for health.

Low Sodium  Sodium is hard to come-by in unprocessed/whole foods.

Fat free  A concept that has been going “out” for the past 10 years.

Artificial sweeteners   Avoid at all costs;  they taste terrible and have questionable health effects. 

Chicken breast/white meat   At least invest in poultry grown and processed in a humane way.

Superfruits from afar  Any fruit can be “super”, especially local, organic ones.

Egg whites  Lacking all the vitamins, minerals and taste – why bother?

Processed factory cheese  Even sounds terrible.

Activities trumping meal time  Enjoying a meal together is the best activity of all.

The 'other white meat'  I believe meat consumption will continue to decline in general.

Excessive supplements  Don’t exist in nature – why would this ever be good for you?

Elimination diets (carbs, sugar, etc)  A waste of time unless you have a real medical condition      

Treadmills   I wonder why?  Too boring perhaps?  Maybe running barefoot outside is taking over.

Ultra Lite Beer   Was only “in” for a couple of years anyway, if at all.

Baked potato chips   Potato chips in general are unimaginative and unnecessary.

Drinking wheat grass shots  So ‘90’s.

Canola Oil   Avocado, walnut, and grape-seed oils have higher smoke points and interesting flavors.

Agave  Totally processed and high in fructose content; went “out” before it was even “in”…..

Brown Rice  But I love you!!

‘Naturally raised’ meat  Doesn’t actually have a meaning.  What is “naturally raised?”

Probiotic enhanced yogurt  Think Jamie Lee Curtis and her “Activia” - sound too good to be true?  Then likely it is….. 

In

Real butter Has been in since people started churning it back in the day.

Grass-fed meat  Good for the animal, environment, and for the consumer.

Sea salt   For once and for all – has the same sodium content as any other type of salt.

Healthy fats  The name says it all.

Stevia   Full of controversy – I am not a convert to this product yet and currently avoid it.

Chicken thigh/dark meat  Again, please choose meat that has been grown and processed in a sustainable and humane way.  

Local, seasonal fruit  An apple a day…..apples are #1 on the “dirtydozen”.  Invest in organic.

Whole eggs, cage free  Delicious!  Worth the extra cash.

Farmstead cheese  So much more interesting in appearance, flavor, and aroma.

The family dinner Can we expand this to family, friends, or other meaningful dining companions in general?

Heirloom marbled pork  No comment on this one. 

Fresh produce  From a farmer’s market or your own vegetable garden.

Portion control   vs. “diet”

Dance/Zumba  If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.  A fun workout is always in.

Craft Beer  I would rather drink wine.

Kettle potato chips  Delicious, but again – why bother with chips anyway?

Eating dark leafy greens  One of my most favorite “in’s” on the list.

Coconut oil  Full of medium-chain fatty acids PLUS you can put it on your skin and in your hair.

Palm sugar  No opinion on palm sugar at this time. 

Farro  I love experimenting with different types of grains – nutty and delicious. 

Cheaper, tasty butch cuts  Get creative!  Know your butcher.

Kefir    A tasty alternative to yogurt. 

Today I didn't buy a carton of milk....

Today I was at the store and I was going to buy a half-gallon of milk.   As you may have guessed, I only buy organic milk because I believe it is a healthier choice, but mostly because I believe it is more humane to animals and the environment.  Generally, the “good” milk as we refer to it is about $2 more than “regular” milk.    I went to the milk aisle today and regular milk was about $1.80 while the good milk was a solid $5. 

I didn’t buyit.  I grabbed a little box of soy milk for coffee and went on my way.  This small example of food economics is actually a shadow of what is happening on abroad scale this year.  Last April, a NY Times article ran saying that in February 2011, wholesale food prices rose by 3.9%. That’s the largest hike in prices in 1 month in almost 40years.   Much of this increased cost is coming from the rising price of fuel and transportation(another reason to eat local?!). Unfortunately, we will likely be seeing this trend negatively affecting home-cooked meals because restaurants make food on such a large scale and can absorb the cost through other routes (alcohol) much easier that an individual can at a grocery store.  Though Applebee’s did raise their prices 2%this year and Starbucks followed with a 1% increase in some regions.

Finally, I want to ask a question in the face of frustration and fear about food prices increasing:  is this a bad thing?  Prices of food in the US have been incredibly low for decades.  An August of this year,an article in Tufts Now by a food economist explains:

“[Increasing food prices] indicate to consumers that they should moderate their consumption,and it indicates to producers to innovate and produce more efficiently. These are all good things that can happen. Moderating consumption should not mean people going hungry, but perhaps going a little easier on the meat consumption,because that uses more resources than raising fruits and vegetables and grains.”  

As always, we all speak with our money.  If you read my blog, you know I preach moderation in many forms.  As Gail Bambrick from Tuffts says more clearly than I could: “What we consume sends a message to food producers and manufacturers. If prices encourage us to use fewer resource-intensive foods like meat and buy food with no packaging,these changes will alert the food industry that they must become more efficient or risk losing profits.” 

I encourage you to vote with your dollars
....I am!

2012: A Time for Resolutions?

Resolute:  Admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.

Resolution:  The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.  A resolving to do something.  A course of action determined or decided on.   A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion.

I think that New Year’s resolutions have a bad rap.  To be resolute or to make a resolution is a commendable thing any other time of year – to me it means working towards bettering yourself or a personal goal.  Of course there are many statistics about how no one sticks to their resolutions and so they often begin the New Year discouraged.  Resolutions are actually all about behavior change and behavior change is an uphill battle for any person because it is, on its most basic level, hard. 

The main issue with New Year’s resolutions is that they lack creativity and specificity.  Most people resolve to lose weight or something of that sort. ”   Losing weight, “getting in shape” or committing to fitness are good enough resolutions if 1.  This will increase the quality of your life in some way and 2.  If you have a specific goal (lose 5 pounds by April, attend the gym 4 days a week for the next two months, be able to do 50 push-ups).  Setting specific and achievable goals will make them more rewarding and satisfying than a very broad or unrealistic goal.  I also find starting a diet on New Year’s cliché:  diets detract from your life making them undesirable in my opinion.  They are also not a enduring or realistic way to live. 

Let me ask you:  how can you add to your life instead of take away from it?  I have heard many excellent resolutions this year:  use recycled bags at the grocery store, remember to send birthday cards to friends, and my all-time favorite:  “eat more oysters and drink more champagne”.  Changing habit and behavior are very difficult and may take several tries before they become permanent – go ahead and make resolutions!  Be resolute!  I encourage you to make positive changes in your life if there are some things you desire that could increase your happiness.  Set small, very specific goals and make them because they are truly important to you. 

Good luck and Happy New Year!!