Food Trends

Fads concerning what we eat come and go. There is a lot of concern about our over consumption of fast food and increasing obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It's especially worrying that children are getting less exercise and eating unhealthily. Food trends have for so long been associated with speed and convenience, but some new voices are beginning to be heard.

A recent development in the UK has seen the banning of commercials for snacks such as sugary breakfast cereal and potato chips to be shown during children's television programmes. This follows the campaign by celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver to introduce more nutritious meals into schools. The campaign was successful in prompting the British Government to take action. Cooks in schools are being re-trained and the meals budget is being raised. Out with the French fries and in with vegetables.

The Loss of Cookery Skills.

Everyone is very busy these days and it's tempting to pop a ready meal into the microwave at the end of a tiring day. Parents are not passing on cooking skills to the next generation and cookery is getting squeezed out of the school curriculum. Consequently, the growing generation don't know one end of a broccoli from another.

Something has to be done, and it's an international problem. As the developing economies in Asia grow, more women are going out to work and their traditional shopping and cooking habits are changing. Many are going to supermarkets instead of to their local market stalls. It's already been reported that Japanese children are becoming overweight. In Western Europe, food trends are changing too. We all think of French and Italian families enjoying a leisurely meal cooked with fresh, local produce. They still do, but there are growing food trends toward processed food and ready meals, as people try to fit in work commitments with life at home.

Organic food has become very popular over the last few years and it is more easily available than ten or twenty years ago. It's still more expensive than conventionally produced food though and blue collar workers tend not to be seduced by food trends which affect the weekly budget.

Some food obsessions seem comical to us now. Remember those dinner parties in the 1970s when we all huddled round the fondue? That was also the decade when we put everything on a little stick, like cubes of cheese and pineapple. We thought our food trends in the '70s made us so sophisticated.

There is a blossoming movement now called the Slow Food Movement. Its purpose is to persuade us to slow down and smell the coffee. Instead of speeding the process up, as with most food trends, the idea is to cook slowly and keep the flavor and goodness in. Rather than microwaving, slowly casserole or stew over a low heat. The aroma alone will be worth it. It's a throwback to our grandparent's time and one of the better food trends to emerge for some time.

Article by S.R. Harrison
An independent writer for Healthy Help FIles on Weight Loss & Diet Issues.

Diet and Healthy Food Links....

Diet and Healthy Food Help Files Directory

Foods Trends - How our diet has changed for the worse.
Healthy Breakfast - A Good Healthy Start to the Day.
Healthy Eating Advice - Practical advice on how to eat healthy.
Healthy Foods to Eat - Foods that you should eat regularly.
Healthy Recipes - The Internet is full of great sites that offer healthy recipes.....
Nutrition Facts - learn where to find nutritional facts about the foods you are bringing into your home.
Nutrition Information - eating the right food is important to your health.
Blood cholesterol levels - these levels are determined by many factors.
Health Food - Eating the right foods is is the first step towards living a more vital life.
Healthy Eating Guidelines - eating the right food is an important part of your health.
The key to having good low carbohydrate recipes is to vary your diet as much as possible.
Nutritional Information - where to look for diet and nutrition info.