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ADA
convention shows what's new in food
Nov 05, 08
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
What
do 10,000 dietitians do when they get together?
They eat. And they listen to colleagues and other experts
talk about innovations and the latest research on diet and
health.
The American Dietetic Association’s annual food and
nutrition conference took place in Chicago last month. I attended
for one day, where I spent my free time in the most entertaining
activity of the event:
I walked the exhibit hall, where I visited several hundred
booths in the massive convention center.
The association does not discriminate when it comes to the
nutritional pedigree of its vendors. Along with an entire
section devoted to natural and organic products, exhibitors
also included drug companies, Coca-Cola Company and Pepsico,
Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s Corporation.
Attendees picked up food samples and trinkets such as chip
clips, measuring spoons, tape measures, key chains and refrigerator
magnets. My favorite: short stacks of Lifesavers wrapped to
look like miniature cans of Bush’s Black Beans.
The exhibition hall is a great place to learn about potentially
helpful or interesting products on the market.
So. What’s new?
* Pink Lemonade flavored Metamucil powder. Berry Burst flavor,
too, as well as Metamucil cinnamon fiber wafers.
It’s always preferable to get your fiber from whole
foods, but some people can benefit from fiber supplements
for the laxative and cholesterol-lowering effects.
* Stevia-based sugar substitutes. Stevia is a South American
shrub with leaves so sweet that extracts are as much as 300
times sweeter than table sugar. It’s not approved for
use as a food additive in the U.S., Canada, or Europe because
it hasn’t been adequately tested for safety.
Nevertheless, stevia is sold in natural foods stores as a
supplement, and three food companies handed out single-serving
samples similar to those yellow and blue packets of Splenda
and Equal for use in foods and beverages.
These packets were green and white, however. They included
PureVia, a product from Pepsico; Truvia, a similar product
from Cargill and Coca-Cola Company; as well as SweetLeaf,
made by Wisdom Natural Brands.
Be cautious about using Stevia for now. Some studies have
found that large amounts can cause problems in animals.
* Dried plums. That’s right, they’re not called
prunes anymore. It’s part of an image make-over to help
baby boomers embrace the nutritious fruit.
Sunsweet is marketing Ones, individually wrapped dried plums
– a good snack for anyone (if you brush the sticky fruit
off your teeth afterwards).
A new juice, PlumSmart, tasted to me like a lighter version
of prune juice. With three grams of fiber in an 8-ounce glass,
it’s a better choice than many other forms of fruit
juice. Still, cut it with seltzer water to reduce the calories
or limit juice to one small glass daily.
* A push for probiotics. Dannon is marketing Activia yogurt
with active cultures, as well as DanActive, a drinkable yogurt
with active cultures.
Probiotics are often called “friendly bacteria.”
Some people think that live microorganisms in foods or supplements
can boost the immune system and treat certain conditions –
especially digestive upsets – by replacing or increasing
the body’s natural supply.
More studies are needed before firm recommendations can be
made. A strong placebo effect may be behind benefits from
probiotics, according to The National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine. In other words, people may feel
better because they expect to. At least there doesn’t
appear to be much, if any, risk from using these products.
Other products making appearances at the show: honey roasted
soynuts and soy-based energy bars, lots of gluten-free foods,
and acai and pomegranate-infused, antioxidant-rich wine vinegar.
For the flight home, I snacked on fresh fruit, in hopes of
staving off the need for a glass of pink lemonade.
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