NPD Releases Report on Health Food Landscape of 2017

National Press Distributors is now releasing an exclusive report identifying the fastest growing trends in healthy eating. This preliminary report seeks to outline the most popular health foods of 2017.

Nutrition advice always changes. It seems that one year the headlines are recommending to stay away from eggs because they are unhealthy. The next year the headlines are claiming they are a great source of protein. The same thing seems to happen with every food. The reality is that good nutrition advice does not change very often. As the saying goes, everything is permissible when it is done in moderation.

The basics of a healthy diet start with whole and unprocessed foods. Always choose fruits and vegetables to help fight diseases. Eat whole grains instead of refined ones. Choose lean meat and low-fat dairy foods. Today, the makers of foods as well as chefs everywhere are making healthy foods a lot easier to choose, so eating healthy is easier than ever before.

Here are some healthy foods for the year that can easily be added to every meal:

Bowls - Think about soups and smoothies to a popular Buddha bowl. This is a mix of greens together with raw or roasted vegetables and healthy grains like quinoa or brown rice. These bowls are handy portion controlled meals and they are easy to tailor to anyone's personal tastes. Whether fancy vegetables or rice and noodles or even burritos are desired, it's easy to create a bowl that focuses on taste and texture while also offering a good mix of carbohydrates and protein. Here is an added tip: add açai berry, avocado, pomegranate and to get plenty more nutrition in every bowl.

New pasta. Pasta is getting a new appeal but not in its traditional sense. Now there is alternative pasta that chefs and manufacturers are making while thinking of adding more nutrients. These new pastas include zucchini noodles which are also known as the roles. There is also quinoa spaghetti made from beans or lentils.

Some of these pastas are available at health food stores or regular grocery stores as well as markets like Trader Joe's. Any spiral vegetable can turn up as a noodle dish. Another option is to use spaghetti squash as a base. It has a noodle consistency and is full of vitamin A. Alternative pastas have fewer calories and more fiber than traditional pastas.

Alternative grains. Replacing bread with lettuce as a wrap has been popular as a trend for years, but now there are new horizons that allow plenty of room for making sandwiches and more using other vegetables. It's possible use eggplant as a wrap for prosciutto. Kale and parsnips make terrific chips.

Spicy Spices. Today's culinary world has no room for blandness. Chefs are using spicy ingredients like turmeric, cayenne, crushed red pepper, and cumin into signature dishes. In almost every case each spice not only gives flavor but it also provides a good source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. There is research that shows spices like cayenne and crushed red pepper act as an appetite suppressant. It is thought they can even play a role in weight management. For more insights into healthy food visit https://www.theflatirongrill.com/.

No matter what food preferences consumers may have, think of 2017 as the perfect time to branch out and do new things. Keep in mind that the basics of any healthy eating plan are moderation as well as variety.

This exclusive report is a service of National Press Distributors. The insights and statistics are compiled with proprietary data.