Eating For Health

Food trends come and go.   Trends from long ago like the bogus vinegar diet keeps coming back again.   What are the food trends of the Gen Z?   My daughter, not a Gen Z, sent me an interesting article, Tracking the Latest Gen Z Food Trends in 2024 .   How do their food trends differ from previous generations? What age group is Gen Z? As of 2024, Gen Z are those born from 1997-2012.   Thus, they range in age from 12 and 27 years of age.   So, some have reached adulthood.      What are their main concerns re food? Gen Zers are interested in foods that are: “healthy, sustainable, and affordable, and readily available on demand”.    Doesn’t sound like they would be growing gardens as they want food right away.   How do Gen Zers differ from millennials? Not a huge difference but Gen Z are more interested in vegan and vegetarian foods but on and off.   So more like the Flexitarian diet.   (See:   Best Di...

Who doesn’t love snacking?   On a recent trip to Europe, one thing we missed were snacks.   Americans love to snack.   Snacking doesn’t have to be unhealthy and actually can add some good nutrition to your day.   One of my favorite snacks is a banana.   A natural food, unprocessed, no plastic packaging and rich in potassium and fiber.   But too many Americans are eating snacks that are ultra-processed.   What is ultra-processed ?   Ultra-processed foods are those shiny, packaged products that often have little resemblance to their natural origins.   They are typically loaded with additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.    What are some examples of ultra-processed snacks to avoid? Mass-Manufactured Chips/Snacks:   Think Cheetos or other colorful, flavored, and heavily processed snack foods.   Sweet Buns and Cookies:     Those soft, sweet buns and sugary cookies you find at the store?   Yes...

Snacks – should kids have snacks?   Do snacks ruin a kid’s appetite?   Are snacks healthy?   So often I hear that kids shouldn’t have snacks.   A friend recently stated her kids are always hungry after school, but they don’t know if they should get snacks or what snacks to give them.   All kids not only should have snacks but actually need snacks.  Kids, especially younger kids, have very small stomachs.  They can’t eat large amounts of food at meals so they get hungry between meals.  USDA sets a meal pattern for child care centers and this meal plan has a morning snack and an afternoon snack.  School-age kids should have an after-school or afternoon snack every day.  After-school snacks are a great opportunity to provide kids with nourishing options that keep their energy levels up.   But this snack shouldn’t be gorging on junk food.  What are some guidelines for healthy snacks and what are some snacks kids can make for th...

Who doesn’t make some New Year’s Resolutions?   Most of us make resolutions but unfortunately most of us don’t keep those resolutions.     Forbes Health polled Americans about their 2024 New Year’s Resolutions.   What are the top New Year’s Resolutions for 2024?   Top priority was improving fitness (48%), improving finances was second (38%), improving mental health came in third (36%) and losing weight came in fourth (34%).   But a fifth was improving ones’ diet (32%).   Despite good intentions, many of us fail to keep these resolutions .   Only about 8% keep their resolutions for one month, about 22% last 2 months, and only 13% are going strong at 4 months.      But setting goals for yourself is a good idea.   Some nutritionists got together and came up with some New Year’s Resolutions you should not put on your list.   And they give some guidance of how to set some health goals for the new year that are more likely t...