Each year, several strategic foodie groups predict the upcoming trends for the year. So you may want to be trendy and add “Eat More Vegetables” and “Cook More” to your resolutions.

  • Cauliflower is in! Move over kale as chefs find new ways to enjoy this cruciferous veggie.
  • Vegetable plates are not just for Meatless Monday anymore. Finding new ways to prepare vegetables makes them much more enjoyable. And if they taste good, everyone eats more of them!
  • Exercising to eat. In general, what you eat has more impact on weight control than exercise, but I like this idea of fitting activity into an eating adventure. For instance, riding your bike to a cafe for lunch or walking to the local pub for dinner.
  • Pinning your favorite foods. Pinterest takes the front burner with more people pinning pictures of what they’d like to eat.
  • Homemade snack foods. Yes 2012 was the year the Twinkie moved on, but you may find your friends making homemade snack cakes.
  • Popcorn! According to Sterling-Rice Group, this is the new ‘it’ snack. It’s a whole grain. It’s naturally low in fat and calories.
  • Sour is the new sweet. Instead of sweet, salty and fatty, we may see more bitter, sour flavors entering our cuisine.
  • Kids meals grow up. Thank goodness more restaurants are continuing to move from chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese to more options, such as grilled chicken, grilled salmon, “real” fish and chips, and fresh vegetable side dish options
  • Adding vegetables to desserts. Sure you’ve heard of carrot cake or muffins, but chefs will be finding new ways to sneak veggies into the dessert course.