Food Trends and Nutrition News at FNCE 2015

Every year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) hosts the Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE), the world’s largest meeting of food and nutrition professionals. This year it was in Nashville, so I traveled to the Music City with over eleven thousand of our fellow registered dietitian nutritionists for a taste of the hottest food trends and the latest nutrition news.

I walked the convention floor with Janet Helm, MS, RDN food trends tracker and the voice behind the blog, Nutrition Unplugged to sample new food products coming to a supermarket soon near you.

Together on the show, we dish about the trend toward clean eating and labeling, how mainstream food companies are giving their packaged products a healthy makeover, nutritional superstars like probiotics and sprouted grains, food waste and how to reduce it, eating with a spiritual compass, and so much more.

From large food brands to start ups, consumer demand is shifting from low-fat and cholesterol-free to clean, less processed food products with minimal ingredients. Consumers want to know where ingredients come from and how they were sourced, and manufacturers are delivering.

2016 has been declared the International Year of Pulses by the UN General Assembly, and it was certainly evident in the Expo hall with a medley of interesting hummus flavors from Sabra and Eat Well Embrace Life, and these Explore Asia pastas made with soybeans, mung beans, and black beans.

Grab-and-go meals and snacks have gone well beyond the ubiquitous granola bars that I used to see all around the Expo. I sampled Kashi Overnight Muesli, single serve salads, squeezable  fruit snacks, and these dark chocolate covered pineapple tidbits. Yes, please!

Expect to see a growing number of products with sprouted grains and seeds at your supermarket. Spouted grains and seeds are lower in carbs and are higher in protein and nutrients like folate, fiber, and antioxidants. {To learn more, read this article by Marisa Moore in Food & Nutrition magazine.}

Sprouted watermelon seeds anyone? It’s impossible to eat just one handful of Go Raw’s sprouted watermelon, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds. They’re that good.

And foods swimming in beneficial probiotics were trending as well. Regular Girl—designed to promote healthy digestive balance—caught the eye of many a dietitian.

As for the sessions that piqued our interest and whet our appetites …

At a lunch sponsored by the National Fisheries Institute, I learned that only 13% of pregnant women eat the recommended 2 to 3 meals of seafood per week. Ocean fish is rich in nutrients like selenium and omega-3 fats, both beneficial for normal brain and eye development in babies. Bottom line: Draft guidelines from the FDA and EPA recommend a minimum of 8 ounces of seafood a week for women of childbearing age. Asian Salmon Sticks, anyone?

During the conference, my friend and fellow dietitian, Janice Bisssex, and I were honored with the Media Excellence Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I was nominated by the Food & Culinary Professionals practice group in recognition of my work communicating sound scientific advice to consumers via my blog, magazine articles, and my regular appearances on CNN AccentHealth.

It was truly a career highlight!

Another highlight was a session with Dr. David Katz titled, From Science to Sound Bites: Using Nutrition Research to Inspire Behavior Changes. Katz shared news of his new Glimmer Initiative which aims to promote health and prevent disease by communicating sound diet advice as one global voice. He said that rather than asking the question, “Is the Mediterranean diet better than the paleo diet or is paleo better than vegan?” consumers should focus on eating food, not too much, with lots of plants. The best diets in the world, he says, are those that are filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds with or without everything else. Choose a variant of that theme that works the best for you.

Acclaimed chef, Marcus Samuelsson spoke at the closing session about the importance of eating and cooking with a spiritual compass. He said we all need to change the way we think about food with a focus on less food waste, more plant-based meals, and giving back to our communities by teaching those around us how to cook. He practices what he preaches at Red Rooster, his Harlem, NY restaurant where he holds free cooking classes for kids once a month.

I wrapped up the conference wearing a pink cowboy hat (a bit out of my Yankee comfort zone, but who could resist?) at the Gala, a fundraiser for the Academy’s Foundation, the world’s largest charitable organization devoted to scholarships, awards, food and nutrition research, and public education. What a night!

I left the conference renewed and more motivated than ever to communicate sound nutrition news and good-for-you recipes to the community 🙂

If you were there, what were your takeaways from FNCE? What new food trend would you like us to explore further in a future post or podcast?

PS: If you want to read more about what our fellow dietitian bloggers discovered at #FNCE, check out the bloggers below:

Janet at Nutrition Unplugged
Deanna and Serena at Teaspoon of Spice
Marie at Healthy Ideas Place
Karman at The Nutrition Adventure
Blair at Blair Mize
Sharon at Plant-Powered Week In Photos: Special FNCE Edition
Min at FNCE 2015 in Nashville, TN Recap
Kristen at FNCE 2015 Conference Recap
Stephanie at Spotlight on Food Sustainability
Jessica at Menu Plan Monday