by Michele | Jan 16, 2019 | Uncategorized
News, Trends, Reviews, & Stories About Good Food.
by Michele | Jan 10, 2019 | Grocery & Food News, Uncategorized
What does 2019 hold for the future of natural foods and supplements? Here is some food for thought about making choices in the aisles and supporting producers who hold the same values that are important to you.
- Regenerative Agriculture: Regenerative Agriculture is agriculture that IMPROVES the land; rather than is “less bad”. Manufacturers, producers, suppliers, and investors work together to bring products to market that rebuild the soil and biodiversity to protect the future of our food.
Market manifestations:
White Leaf Provisions Biodynamic Apple Sauce + Cinnamon
Patagonia Provisions Mussels
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
- Plant Based Diets Go Mainstream: Sales of plant-based foods like meat, eggs, and dairy substitution have grown year over year. Watch for more products in conventional grocery stores. Also, you’ll see more celebrity athlete endorsements dispelling the fallacy that plant-based eating hinders athletic performance.
Market manifestations:
Milkadamia Unsweetened Vanilla Macadamia Milk
Sweet Earth Natural Foods Veggie Lovers Pizza
Savory Wild Portabella Jerky Roasted Garlic & Black Pepper
JUST Egg
- Glyphosate (RoundUp) Awareness: The Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted studies funding potentially higher-than-safe levels of the chemical in oat-based products – Hello Cheerios! Monsanto was involved in a high-visibility lawsuit bringing much more awareness to the Glyphosate issue and contamination.
Market manifestations:
Foodstirs Modern Baking Organic Chewy Granola Oat Bar Baking Mix
MegaFood One Daily
Earnest Eats Superfood Oatmeal Blueberry + Chia + Cinnamon
- Time-Honored Ingredients: Ancient wisdom comes back by ancient grains, fermentation, Ayurveda, and herbal remedies. Ingredients like turmeric, ginger, mushrooms, apple cider vinegar, and heirloom grains like amaranth, frekeh, farro, einkorn, emmer, and a host of others trace their roots to other cultures and our grandmothers to cure ailments. These heritage ingredients live on because they work.
Market manifestations:
HANAH One Botanical Supplement
Dram Apothecary Ginger Switchel Drinking Vinegar Concentrate
Ka-Pop! Olive Oil and Sea Salt Ancient Grain Popped Chips
- Freezer Foods Are Cool: Forget about Swanson’s TV dinners of the past. Over the past five years, high-quality, crave-worthy forzen items have hit the shelves. As we now “cope with chaos” in our daily lives, these freezer meals offer relief when cooking a delicious and healthy meal just isn’t in the cards.
Market manifestations:
Wildscape Gochujang Cauliflower with Brussels Sprouts, Chickpeas & Quinoa, Riced Cauliflower, Cashews, and Pickled Onions
Luvo Kale Ricotta Ravioli
Beetnik Organic Lemongrass Chicken
- Keto, Keto, Everywhere: Keto-friendly options abound across food, beverage, and supplements. Keto products prioritize healthy fats and vilify sugar for improved health. Like other low carb diets, keto owes a lot of its success to celebrities and influencers who have used the program to lose weight.
Market manifestations:
Dang Bar Lemon Matcha
Koia Keto Chocolate Brownie
Nui Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Radical Changemakers: Transparency, sustainability, and mission-based companies have been important trends in the natural foods industry. They consider the impact on plants, animals, and humans all along the supply chain from farmer to consumer to waste. This year natural businesses will focus on conscious practices, not just by sustainability efforts but by changing their business models to a more specific mission-based focus. How will they do that? By finding ingredient suppliers who care about regenerative agriculture and fair wages for their people, by getting involved in policy making, and brave social and environmental commitments.
Market manifestations:
Kuli Kuli Moringa Energy Bar Black Cherry
Clif Bar & Company Fruit Smoothie Filled Strawberry Banana
Numi Golden Chai
- Tapping Into the Endocannabinoid System: CBD is barrelling into 2019 appearing in products from supplements to snacks, beverages, and body care. These products are touted as being a way to help with pain, anxiety, inflammation, and healthy sleep. The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substance Act. (CBD is derived from hemp and does not contain THC and doesn’t make you high.)
Market manifestations:
Charlotte’s Web Original Formula Hemp Extract Oil Mint Chocolate
Botanical Rush Midnight Beauty Night Cream
Weller Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites with Hemp Extract
- Energy Evolution: We have trouble falling asleep at night, and then we have trouble staying awake during the day. As a result, we turn to energy drinks to keep us awake and productive. Reformulated energy drinks are emerging offering lower doses, “micro-dosing,” of caffeine (35 – 45mg instead of 150mg). Micro-dosing suggests that smaller amounts of caffeine support productivity and minimize jitters.
Market manifestations:
Rasa Koffee Adaptogenic Herbal Koffee
Tempo Sparkling Matcha Raspberry + Lime
MATI Citrus Energy Drink
Disclosure: some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and purchase a product.
Source: New Hope Network, Natural News Today 1/3/19
by Michele | Nov 19, 2018 | Food Stories, Uncategorized
Stop Drinking When Your Lips Go Numb
We have a family rule, when drinking home brewed hard apple cider, STOP when your lips go numb. Those that don’t heed the warning open themselves to public humiliation when they face plant in their dinner plate. You know who you are. I LOVE hard cider; it reminds me of my favorite season of the year – Fall. Our family gathers for an annual cider press day at the end of October every year; we cross our fingers hoping to get a freeze on the trees before the big day. When the apples freeze before they’re picked and pressed, the sweetness improves and the juiciness increases. We get together, pick the apples from the Winesap trees, take turns pressing the apples, sampling the sweet and tart juice, and divvying it up. A few gallons are always allotted for hard cider. It’s pure and delicious without junk added to it. 
Since discovering I have Celiac Disease, hard cider has become my “go-to” instead of beer. Some people think of cider as “apple beer” but craft cider is closer to wine than beer. Think different varietals and fermentation methods. However, not all ciders are created equal. Craft Cider increases in popularity and becomes more mainstream every year. And that means that imposters abound serving up lower quality ciders with added “flavors” and preservatives.
Getting Crafty With Hard Cider
What is Craft Cider? When making craft cider, the focus is on how and with what, the product is made. It has to come from 100% fresh pressed cider apples. The quality improves when apples are fermented and matured in small batches without added sugar, sometimes small amounts of quality sugars or honey are used to aid fermentation. No concentrated juice or artificial ingredients are added. Craft ciders may vary a bit from batch to batch while big producers will have more consistency. Many craft ciders are only sold locally or regionally. Like wine, there are unique characteristics to each regions apples and climate; if you see a local craft cider give it a try. It’s a lovely way to experience the area and support local producers. Commercial ciders are often produced by big beer companies and are shipped long distance increasing the environmental footprint.
This article in Bon Appetit goes into more detail about what goes into making cider, what to look for when selecting a cider. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/naturally-fermented-hard-cider
If you live in Washington or plan on visiting Washington soon, I’ve included a map and directory of Washington cider makers.
As we spiral into the holiday season, put hard cider on the drink menu this year. When out making merry, look for a local craft hard cider; ask your bartender about the producer. Look for craft cocktails made with hard cider.
But…..be careful if your lips go numb.
Washington Cider Map & Directory
http://hardciderreviews.com/regions/us-pacific-northwest/washington/
