5 healthy food trends

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If you’re looking to eat healthy, the answer may not be in low-fat, low-sodium pre-packaged freezer meals. Cooking Light’s 5 Healthy Food Trends highlights five ways of eating that you may not have heard of:

• Flexitarianism: Following in the footsteps of vegetarians, flexitarians eat a mostly plant-based diet, supplemented with lean meat, dairy, fish, and poultry a few times a week. Flexitarianism works so well because it is rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber while low in saturated fat.
• Locally grown foods: Local farms are coming back strong, thanks to the new trend towards eating locally grown produce. Smaller farms often have the advantage of fresher fruits and veggies picked closer to their ripening date, leaving you with richer, better-tasting foods on your table. And since you get to talk with the farmer, you’ll know more about where and how your food is grown.
• Functional foods: These are the foods that are enriched and enhanced to provide you with nutrients that you may not be able to get naturally. Examples are calcium-enriched orange juice and milk with extra vitamins. These foods help you fill in the gaps of your nutrition, especially if you have special diet concerns, such as lactose-intolerance.
• Organic foods: Organic foods are grown without pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. Organic produce has been proven to be more nutrient-rich and, many times, better tasting. Furthermore, you won’t be putting unknown chemicals into your body as you take a bite of your afternoon apple.
• Slow food: The opposite of fast food, slow food is made from fresh and locally-grown foods, prepared in traditional ways, and meant to be eaten while surrounded by family and friends. Since great care goes into the selection and preparation of slow food, you’ll likely be eating healthier and enjoying more.

Whether you want to give one or all of these a shot, the idea is clear: the way we eat is changing, and for the better.

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