Summarizing here some food and nutrition trends for the upcoming year:

1.  "Clean shopping" and "healthification" of fast and fast-casual food
2. Pulses: the United Nations declared 2016 the year of pulses. Lentils, beans, garbanzos are going to be seen in a variety of food products like pasta and snacks.
3. Seeds: the new “nuts” will be present in all kinds of snacks and cereals bars.
4. Meatless: consumers will choose less red meat and processed food and more alternative protein sources, like fish, poultry, dairy, vegetable proteins.
5. GMO-free, antibiotic-free will continue to be popular
6. Sprouted grains are expected to be used in snacks as well as breads, and to be potentially more popular with millennial customers
7. Blogs, social media and TV: these will be the main sources of nutrition information. This is good news as more food and nutrition experts have blogs, websites and are participating in TV. But be aware of..
8. Missinformation: unexperienced people blogging about nutrition can be harmful and confusing for the public.
9. Telenutrition: more clients will engage in remote nutrition counseling through Registered Dietitians apps.
10. Influences: celebrities (and politicians) will be the main source of diets trends.

 
I would add a few  more:
Sustainable diets and reduced food waste in restaurants, hospitals, and grocery stores as well as in the home

Relaxing dietary cholesterol recommendations. The  2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee says that available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol … Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption. Much expectation is present to see if the 300mg cholesterol threshold is modified.
 
Full fat dairy. Consumption of whole-milk dairy products is on the rise as part of a whole, natural, and real trend, Some argue that there's no association between dairy fat or high-fat dairy foods and obesity, type 2 diabetes, or cardiometabolic risk, and they may be inversely associated with obesity risk. But, the DASH diet and MyPlate still recommend consuming low-fat or nonfat dairy products. 


HAPPY 2016!!
-Romina

I just finished this crunchy and sweet homemade gift for Christmas. Perfect for my foodie family members! I have recycled my breakfast jam jar and used a nice ribbon for better look. You can mix and match your favorite nuts and mix-ins. It is hard to find cranberries in Argentina, so I made this Holiday mix thanks to my husband who recently travelled to the U.S. He brought me my favorite snack: dried cranberries. If you don´t have them on hand, you can also use raisins, prunes or other dried fruit. I used rice cereal, but also can be replaced by mini pretzels or potato chips. The recipe is sooooo easy that my 3-y.o. daughter helped me out:

Ingredients:                 
1 large egg white
2 cups walnuts, unshelled and raw
1 cup pistachios, unshelled and raw
1 cup peanuts, unshelled and raw
1 ½ cup rice cereal
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups dried cranberries
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and brush a rimmed baking sheet lightly with vegetable oil. Whisk 1 large egg white in a large bowl until frothy. Add the walnuts, pistachios, peanuts and rice cereal. In a small bowl mix the light brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the nut mixture with the sugar blend and toss to coat. Spread the nut mixture evenly on the baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes; let cool on the baking sheet. Then, add the dried cranberries and toss to combine.  Makes 4 (1lb) jars.