[Kevin]
Hey, Michelle, how are you doing? Kevin, it is a great day because the snow is melting.

[Michelle]
Oh, but us skiers don't like that. You're insulting all of us skiers.

[Kevin]
I think that it's very reasonable to go to a place like Tromblant if you want to ski.

[Michelle]
Well, that's true. Yeah, you're not going to ski in downtown Toronto, admittedly, but still.

[Kevin]
Something that does not require me to shovel.

[Michelle]
That's true, but it's nice.

[Kevin]
It's very pretty.

[Michelle]
It cleans things up. I'd rather have a white outside than like gray and brown.

[Kevin]
Well, you know what? Did you get dumped on? We got absolutely dumped on this winter, like just before Christmas.

[Michelle]
No, we got a little bit.

[Kevin]
And we live at the top of a hill. So I can't remember how many centimeters it fell, but it was just like all at once. And not everybody had their snow tires on their cars.

There were cars just abandoned on the street like they couldn't get up the hill. Oh, wow. Oh, my God.

But yeah, no, it's very, very pretty, but it got very, very cold. It went down to like minus 13 Celsius for any listeners that may be, you know, questioning.

[Michelle]
That's cold. That's like minus 25, I think Fahrenheit thereabouts.

[Kevin]
I wanted to put boots on my dog. It was that cold. But no, I do.

Winter is very pretty. I like it when it kind of hovers around zero. I'm good with that.

[Michelle]
Yeah, sort of like minus five is my sweet spot, I think. Enough to keep the snow. But then I like skiing and skating.

So, you know, what am I going to do? And my son adores skiing. So if he can't ski in winter, there's not much he can do because otherwise it's skiing or playing soccer.

And that's about the only sports he likes.

[Kevin]
Does he snowboard at all?

[Michelle]
He does, yes. He actually took up snowboarding because here in Toronto, there's no big mountains. So the ski hills are tiny, in which case he took up snowboarding because he was too good at skiing.

And the mountains, the mole hills around us weren't challenging enough. So he took up snowboarding just to create more challenge for himself. What a trooper.

[Kevin]
I bet it's still a mountain compared to what we call the Bowler Bump here in London, Ontario.

[Michelle]
Yes, I've actually skied on that once. Did you? I have skied on the Bowler Bump once.

And yes, it was lame. I'm sorry to say.

[Kevin]
Well, you know, so I'm not a huge skier, but I have enjoyed skiing. And I worked for an executive one time in one of my banking jobs that he was a member. So he had the team for a team outing.

We went skiing on this hill and I had never skied before. So that was what I learned to ski on. And the one run is they call it the longest run in Ontario.

Which isn't saying much. Well, but like it's quite disarming because you're hurling down this hill and you're not much of a skier like I was. It looks like you're skiing right into the lake.

But my experience after that and then going, OK, I kind of like skiing, going to Bowler Mountain. And the hill that I learned on, on, on, you know, that other side of Blue Mountain, whatever that resort is called, was the equivalent of the Black Diamond Hill in London. But you but you know what?

It's really nice. It's family friendly. You don't have it's not a super dangerous hill.

You don't do it like it's a great place to learn to ski. So no disrespect to Bowler and completely aside because this is not a skiing podcast, but I don't know. OK, so somebody is going to have to fact check me there because I don't know how much of this is absolutely true.

But what I understand about how that hill came to be or I think there's a few hills now, but that it was veterans from World War Two that had been stationed out west or elsewhere that got accustomed to skiing. And then they settled postwar, had their homes built in London, Ontario, that they wanted a ski club and that they it's because it's to this day, it's a total not for profit. And my understanding is that they every time they dug a hole for a home, they poured the dirt onto Bowler Mountain and made these ski hills.

[Michelle]
Oh, OK. Oh, interesting.

[Kevin]
Yeah, that's very interesting. I think that's a cool story.

[Michelle]
But it's I do find it interesting that so much of our cityscape is created by, you know, old industry or something, because there's there's a there's a park right near us that has an amazing toboggan hill. And I only learned recently that it's actually an old quarry. Wow.

And so they take the the rocks in the quarry and it's created. And now that I know that I can see, yes, it's totally the edge of a quarry. And, you know, it's it's interesting.

But now it's just it's a park.

[Kevin]
I love stories like that.

[Michelle]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's fascinating.

[Kevin]
I love how I love how people get creative and think outside the box. And then and then, you know, it's just a shame in a way that sometimes those stories get lost and then we lose the appreciation of their origin. But that's so cool.

A hundred percent. Yeah. So, yeah, not much of it.

Not not since the giant smack in the head a year ago. Do I actually feel comfortable getting on skis? But I can appreciate.

[Michelle]
Probably wise for the time being. Yes, I don't recommend it. Given your given your experience with skates, I just stay away from snow and ice for a little while.

[Kevin]
I used to be an excellent skater, too. But yeah, I don't want to invite that again. Anyhow, so welcome back, everyone, to Nutrition for Noobs.

I'm Michelle.

[Michelle]
I'm Kevin, the chief noob.

[Kevin]
Do you see what I did there? I just kind of took over from you.

[Michelle]
Yeah, I like that. Wow. Wow.

You it's a whole new year, a whole new you. I love it.

[Kevin]
Oh, you know what? I'm I'm down to business. I want to provide some some interesting engagement around what's going on in food and nutrition.

And especially for the noobs out there, because if you've listened to our past podcasts, you kind of know what we're about. We're all about eating real food under, you know, kind of cutting through the crap. There's a lot of confusion out there in the marketplace about what's true and what's not.

But, you know, food trends are not necessarily driven by science, but science usually ends up getting involved in in in setting a trend or changing people's behaviors as they learn more. So I've got a couple of sources I wanted to go with you today, Kevin, and with the listeners, because I thought that this might be of interest to our audience. Totally.

And this first list is on some of the latest food and nutrition trends that we saw in twenty twenty four. OK, and this was this was put out in by dietitians in British Columbia. OK, so and I think that you're going to see something here where a lot of these themes are very consistent with what we've talked about on the podcast today.

And I find that very life affirming, I must say.

[Michelle]
I would expect nothing less.

[Kevin]
Do you have a guess? The number one food trend?

[Michelle]
More plant based.

[Kevin]
Shifting towards plant based diets, not just for the personal health benefits, but planetary health. Right. Planetary health is a huge trend.

We saw this last year as well. And, you know, it's been increasingly, you know, something on the minds of people and the understanding that there's this misconception that it's all about oil and gas. Right.

But it's but but it's not. We know that animal agriculture has more detriment, environmental detriment than all forms of transportation combined.

[Michelle]
It's all those farting cows. I'm telling you, it comes down to the farting cows.

[Kevin]
Are we going back to this again?

[Michelle]
We are. Yes, 100 percent. Until you replace me with A.I., we're going back to the farting cows.

[Kevin]
I'm sorry, listeners. I apologize for my friend. But, you know, this this theme comes about, you know, the fact that people are becoming more and more aware, they're more conscious about their food choices.

They're not. But it's really nice to see that people aren't only self-interested. You know, it's not it's not just about me that that there are a growing number of consumers that are making a connection between the choices on their plate and the broader impacts to the planet.

[Michelle]
So so that's really, really cool, especially since all the reports are saying that 2024 is probably going to be the warmest year on record ever. Wow. So, I mean, that's not looking good given climate change and everything.

So it's important that I'm at it. So it makes me heartened that, you know, more and more people are thinking a little bit more beyond just their plate.

[Kevin]
Yeah. And I would say, too, that as when I attend nutrition education, like going to nutrition conferences to stay up to date, which I do every single year, there's always an environmental topic on the agenda now. Like and I and I and I would say, right, you know, five, 10 years ago, not necessarily.

But the environmental impact of not just the production of food, but agriculture, soil, et cetera, is always in the in the topic. So along with this shift towards increasingly, you know, more plants on the plate, also more interest in meatless meats, if you will, or or or alternatives. So meats made from soy based ingredients have, of course, been around for decades, but more and more plant based protein options.

And we did talk about this in one of our we did one of our one of our episodes. Very innovative products coming up, including, you know, plant based options for, you know, instead of fish, even convenience foods like the old TV dinner. There's now like frozen meals, an explosion in the plant based cheese options, plant based desserts, plant based baked goods, even bleeding now into various areas of cultural foods.

So so that's kind of interesting. Number two on on their list was the major shift towards online grocery shopping. OK, including AI technology and convenience.

So that's kind of interesting. They quote in this this part that Statistics Canada reported a 74 percent increase in online grocery shopping in 2020. Duh.

[Michelle]
Go figure. Hmm. What would have driven that trend?

[Kevin]
I wonder why that was. Yeah. Hmm.

But certainly like that was such a radical shift that just caused these spaces to explode. Right. Like.

[Michelle]
Right.

[Kevin]
Right. If you weren't online, you got online really fast.

[Michelle]
Exactly. And I think then the stores had to improve their infrastructure if they didn't already have a solid infrastructure to handle the increased demand. And then once they've invested in this infrastructure, it meets their needs to keep it going after we no longer need it from a health standpoint, but just the convenience.

It's in the store's best interest to keep it going.

[Kevin]
Right. Right. And the other thing they noted in this article that was super interesting, Kevin, was that I don't think anybody saw this coming.

But one of the major uses of chat GPT is people asking questions about nutrition and health.

[Michelle]
Oh, really? OK, that's interesting.

[Kevin]
Isn't that interesting? Not not not just rewriting my essay or make me a resume. That's terrifying at the same time.

[Michelle]
Well, that's the thing that the slightly concerning thing about that is chat GPT only goes to, I think, two thousand and twenty one. I have no idea. Data.

So more. So just more recent data or more recent studies won't be included in its results. So it won't be quite right up to current events.

[Kevin]
Yeah, this acknowledges that concern. It says that it poses significant challenge in the context of nutrition and health advice because the Internet is a sea of misinformation and unverified claims. And chat GPT is not smart enough to to fact check the information.

Right. Like it's just recycling weed out the rubbish.

[Michelle]
Yeah. If it has enough links and if enough comments, then it'll believe it. Yeah.

[Kevin]
Right. Right. So but but super interesting.

Right. Like I wouldn't have.

[Michelle]
Yeah. No, I never knew that.

[Kevin]
Maybe that's because I am who I am. But chat GPT is not a place that I would go for my food and nutrition advice.

[Michelle]
But but again, the very fact but but the very fact that people are even just asking these questions of Google or chat GPT is is also interesting that people are. There's more awareness out there and hopefully hopefully they will second guess the chat GPT responses.

[Kevin]
But well, I mean, when people are getting their nutrition info from TikTok, I guess this isn't any worse. Number three on the list was an increase in embracing multicultural cuisines. So connecting to the wider world.

Yeah. So they're saying that that the newer generation, which my daughter was just telling me this the other day, I didn't even know what was after Gen Z, Gen Alpha.

[Michelle]
Yes.

[Kevin]
Gen Alpha are emerging as a consumer category. Very interested in multicultural culinary tastes.

[Michelle]
Interesting. Interesting.

[Kevin]
Yeah. Very interesting.

[Michelle]
My son is a Gen Alpha, so I'm well aware of Skibbity Toilet and getting on the Riz and all that.

[Kevin]
What? What are you talking about?

[Michelle]
Exactly. That's how they speak. Oh, no.

You're all Skibbity Toilet, Ohio. I got so much Riz.

[Kevin]
Are you singing in scat right now? Like, I don't know what you're doing.

[Michelle]
No, no. That's how they talk. That's how they talk.

Oh, it's it is like a whole different language.

[Kevin]
Well, I guess they're more adventurous in their food choices. Are you seeing that with your son?

[Michelle]
Not so much, but I think part of it might just be, I mean, they would be one of the first generations to grow up with the Internet. So the world is their oyster. I think also their parents might also expose them to more world cuisine.

[Kevin]
Right.

[Michelle]
Compared to like, you know, you know, when you and I were kids, going out for pizza was considered exotic because it's like Italian food.

[Kevin]
Oh, it was pizza and donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken, right? Like.

[Michelle]
Yeah. Whereas now I regularly take my son to Vietnamese restaurants, Italian, obviously, too. We have a favorite dim sum place just down the street from us.

[Kevin]
I love dim sum.

[Michelle]
So we are trying to expose him to different different cuisine.

[Kevin]
So, well, he and his friends are apparently leading the charge on globally inspired recipes and product development. So there you go.

[Michelle]
Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

[Kevin]
OK, number four. Number four top food trend is eating for optimal immune health and overall health. So people are starting to thank goodness, make a connection between their health and what they're putting in their mouth.

[Michelle]
Yeah, no, that's wonderful. Good.

[Kevin]
Yeah. So they say that health and immunity will be one of the driving forces of change in the food landscape.

[Michelle]
But that but to me, that kind of connects into the first trend of being more plant based because. Right. The two kind of go hand in hand.

If you're concerned or if you're aware about immune health and your health in general, then that's generally going to lead you. Unless you follow some crazy tick tockers to say only eat meat. That generally leads you more towards a plant based outlook.

[Kevin]
Yeah. More plant centered, for sure. I think the first I think the first one emphasized the plant trend in general and that environmental connection as well.

[Michelle]
Right. Right. No, I'm just seeing a bunch of overlap between between them.

It's interesting.

[Kevin]
Absolutely. Well, it is all connected, right? It is all connected.

So in in number four, about optimal immunity and health being one of the major drivers of food choices, the connection is to things like understanding prebiotics and probiotics. Kevin, I remember being in, you know, very like first year nutrition school back way back when and being very confused. What's the difference between a prebiotic and a probiotic and what is that anyway?

And really, you know, being very confused and very little information available.

[Michelle]
Right.

[Kevin]
Take now. Fast forward. Pretty much everybody knows what a probiotic is.

They may be a little bit confused as to exactly what a prebiotic is, but people are familiar with the term nonetheless. For them, for the most part.

[Michelle]
Yeah, they've heard it.

[Kevin]
The article says that there's this recognition that more and more people are understanding that the majority of the immune system actually resides in the gut, like 70, 70 percent or more. Right. And that there is this connection to your immune system with your gut health and that there's also a gut brain connection.

I think more people are aware of that, too. Yes.

[Michelle]
Well, there have been a lot of studies recently that have been in the mainstream media in the last six months to a year that have talked about. I know I've heard reports about certainly depression and links to your gut health.

[Kevin]
Absolutely.

[Michelle]
I've also heard about autism, apparently, and gut health.

[Kevin]
Absolutely. You know, there is a link to absolutely. There's one book that I read now.

I can't remember what his name was, but some doctor whose name begins with a B, a guide to better bowel health or something. As I remember, I was so into that at the time. It was so new.

It was a new it was basically emerging science. But this guy had written this book back in, like, I don't know, like the 1950s or 60s, like saying exactly that. And everybody else was just sort of catching up to it.

But I remember it was on my coffee table and people are like, why do you have a book about bowel health on your coffee table? Because I'm me.

[Michelle]
That is so on brand for you. So on brand for the listeners.

[Kevin]
Like so your prebiotics are the things that feed your gut bacteria. So that's your whole grains, onions, garlic, bananas, etc., legumes, etc. And they are the actual food for the probiotic.

And the probiotics are your actual.

[Michelle]
Bacteria, your live bacteria, those little microbes, the little groovies living inside you. Yeah, that we love talking about. I have a little army that you talked about, right?

[Kevin]
Yes.

[Michelle]
The superheroes in your gut and the the acknowledgment with this as an as a top food trend is that fermented dairy is not your only source. Right, right. And the top has been blown off of yogurt, right?

Like everybody now kind of knows, OK, so what's in yogurt is very, very minuscule. And then we've got the contra indicating other problems with that particular type of food source, but that we can get it from real food. Right.

So. Right.

[Kevin]
And if and if you really want yogurt, there are some amazing yogurt like non-dairy yogurts out there now.

[Michelle]
Coconut yogurt. Yum.

[Kevin]
I love coconuts. Culture is delicious.

[Michelle]
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. So number five, because as I said, there's this recognition about our brain eating for brain health and cognitive performance. So food trend people are increasingly worried about.

You know, I think we're seeing here aging, healthy, and that includes not just our body, but our mind. Right. Right.

So people are looking for more functional foods to support maintaining healthy brain functions. So a shifting towards brain friendly habits also are influencing something else we've talked about on this podcast, alcohol consumption patterns. OK, so more people are opting for less alcohol to promote their overall well-being.

And this has led to as a food trend, a huge rise in non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits, as well as, you know, in the alcohol category lower alcohol alternatives.

[Kevin]
Yes, yes. Which we've also talked about in previous episodes.

[Michelle]
Yeah. So remember, we talked about Nosecco. So that was one thing we did this this holiday when I had a gathering.

We went and got some Nosecco and got out the orange juicer and made freshly squeezed orange juice. And so we made really super healthy mimosas.

[Kevin]
Right.

[Michelle]
So delicious. Nothing, Kevin, nothing touches a freshly squeezed orange.

[Kevin]
Yes, yes. Incredible.

[Michelle]
So good. So, yeah. And so that's nice to see as a trend.

Not the mimosas, the brain health.

[Kevin]
Well, the mimosas are also very nice trends. I mean, I like that one.

[Michelle]
It should be a top food trend.

[Kevin]
Yes, absolutely.

[Michelle]
So anyway, number six, financial and budget considerations in eating. OK, yeah. So that's a that's a top trend.

So forty two percent of Canadians were found to change their financial New Year's resolutions in twenty twenty four to focus on minimizing spending and creating budgets. So more value for money, food choices with without compromising health and quality, which, again, is moving people more towards home cooking.

[Kevin]
Right.

[Michelle]
Choosing seasonal products, doing more meal prep, more meal planning, eating out less, buying in bulk.

[Kevin]
Makes sense.

[Michelle]
Right. All very reasonable. I mean, the you know, the best thing you can do, as I say, is is is eat real food.

Make your own food. Do like I did put a tower garden in your kitchen. Don't even have to buy your produce.

So reducing food waste. These are all great, great trends that we're seeing. And then number seven, which will be the last one on this particular list is anti inflammatory foods.

So that being part of the consciousness of the eating choices and the food choices. OK, fermented foods, it says claimed the number one spot. There's this famous nutrition food survey.

Other which is fermented foods are anti inflammatory, but also other anti inflammatory foods such as blueberries, avocados and green tea.

[Kevin]
OK, close to your heart.

[Michelle]
Always very close to my heart. So, yeah. So I mean, when I read this list, it was like I was going down the list and I was like, yes, yes.

[Kevin]
Yeah, exactly. Yes. So well, but it's it's it's good that everything is consistent and the list, everything reinforces.

It's each other, like all the all the list items. So there's no crazy outliers. It's like, oh, that makes no sense.

Like, you know, everything is cohesive. So that's that's important.

[Michelle]
Yeah, yeah. So there was another this is just a shorter list, but I just it was worth worth mentioning and very similar along the same lines. But this is from a food in Canada, kind of an industry magazine.

OK, you know, it's an OK source. I wouldn't necessarily say like this is the most scientific source, but they've done their own survey and again, consumers in their top, they have five, their top five. Consumers are much more than ever concerned about ingredients.

OK, reading, reading the ingredient panel on things, being being far more informed in their decision making about what's in the food that they eat. It's amazing to me. It's always been amazing to me.

The number of people in my experience that will eat something without caring, like not not not reading the label, not knowing what's in it. And I think, though, I don't think that that's inherently ignorance or anything, Kevin. I think there's a high degree of trust that, you know, if it if it was bad for you, it wouldn't you wouldn't be allowed to sell it.

[Kevin]
I think also to a point the labels themselves can be confusing. They can. Because sometimes it's, you know, and for me, like I, you know, I think I'm reasonably intelligent, but I find, you know, sometimes the you know, the the the nutrients are are presented as a percentage of your daily intake.

But then other times it's just a number.

[Michelle]
Yeah.

[Kevin]
And a number out of context. Like, is that good? Is that bad?

Is a higher number good? Is a lower number good? It's not necessarily the clearest.

So unless you dig deep into the research, you don't necessarily like even if you read the labels, you don't necessarily understand what the labels are trying to tell you.

[Michelle]
What you don't understand what you're reading. Yeah. Now, they did that the last food label update did improve things a little bit where they standardized portion size.

When you know, when it says, you know, percent daily values per whatever. And right. Companies used to find loopholes to be very misleading with that, because, you know, you might buy I'm just going to make something up like a giant bag of cookies.

And meanwhile, it would say that, you know, the portion that it was measuring on the label was like half a cookie instead of a whole cookie. Right. So they would find ways to make their numbers look better on the label than they were.

The last update on food labeling requirements in Canada did standardize how that you're not allowed to do that so much.

[Kevin]
You can't cut your cookie into four and claim that people will eat a quarter of a cookie, people. It doesn't happen.

[Michelle]
Yeah. And that was just that was a made up example. But there were things there were things like that.

Right.

[Kevin]
No, no, no. But I can see how that works, because there have been times when I've been comparing two products in the store.

[Michelle]
Oh, I know.

[Kevin]
And it doesn't make sense. And then I look up and I was, oh, my God, the serving size is different.

[Michelle]
Yeah. One will say per half a cup and the other one will say per cup or what the report says about this is that eighty eight percent of consumers report that ingredients play a role in their food selection and that more than half. Fifty two percent of consumers are willing to pay more for foods that use whole or less processed ingredients.

So that's good.

[Kevin]
Oh, good. Oh, excellent. Again, it's that change in mentality.

That's brilliant.

[Michelle]
Number two on on the food in Canada list was similar to the the previous dietitians list that we looked at where there's much more focus on international foods and fusion of international foods. OK, so, for example, integrating the flavors of international foods with Canadian favorites.

[Kevin]
Right.

[Michelle]
And international cuisines, they say, are also changing the shape of culinary options offered in grocery stores, as well as fast food and fast casual restaurants and pizzerias. And I think I think we see that in at least at least here where I live in our dining landscape. And, oh, 100 percent, you know, like there are certain things that you still I don't know.

Like, let's say you want a particular let's say you want a real jackfruit, for example, like you still pretty much have to go to an Asian grocer to get an actual jackfruit. But you can now find jackfruit pretty much in any mainstream grocery store in a canned form or something. Right.

[Kevin]
Right. Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

[Michelle]
Number three. Interesting how they put this adding with intent. So consumers want to feel good about their food choices by adding nutritional elements and favorable taste to their selection.

So they're seeking foods that add to or boost their wellness goals as a top priority for consumers who are more focused on mindful eating decisions with restrictive practices taking a back seat. So they don't want to, you know, let's harken back to Weight Watchers days, like where, you know, have to have, you know, less of this in order to meet your points kind of thing. They don't want to cut back.

They just want to add with intent. Right. So I think that's I think that's very that's very positive.

[Kevin]
Absolutely. Without a doubt. Again, it's it's showing that they're thinking like consumers are are making conscious efforts to to think and make decisions with these these considerations in mind.

[Michelle]
Yeah. I also think, you know, if we're still then talking about what's the new gen, gen, what did I say it was? Gen Alpha.

[Kevin]
Gen Alpha.

[Michelle]
You know, kind of building on what we saw with Millennials and Gen Z's, they are not into depriving themselves at all. Right. Am I right?

[Kevin]
Absolutely.

[Michelle]
I'm speaking as a mother now. I'm OK. And then number four is a desire to do good.

Consumers are wanting to support foods that align with sustainability. All right. So that's still very, very big.

[Kevin]
OK, top of mind. No complaints.

[Michelle]
And the article says there's a gap between what they want to support and their willingness to make those purchases, however. OK, so 58 percent want more information about how, specifically how their food purchase is going to have a positive impact on the planet. OK.

So I think I think that's why we're seeing a lot of marketing move in that direction.

[Kevin]
Right, right. But they want to make sure also that maybe that's a sign that also. You don't want to just trust the marketing either, like you want to make sure, you know, down to the nitty gritty details, how are you better than someone else?

[Michelle]
Yeah. And the article acknowledges exactly what you're saying, Kevin, that there's confusion around sustainability and things like regenerative agriculture, that they don't understand what that means in terms of pricing.

[Kevin]
Right, right.

[Michelle]
I'm not sure I understand what that means in terms of pricing either, but.

[Kevin]
Well, it seems to me it seems to me the minute you throw organic on anything, you're just allowed to jack the price up to three times the cost of the non-organic.

[Michelle]
It's interesting you say that, because I had that experience as a tea buyer. So and I used to constantly have to educate my customers that just because it's this tea says that it's organic doesn't mean it tastes better.

[Kevin]
Right.

[Michelle]
Doesn't doesn't doesn't even mean that the product is better. It just means that somebody followed an organic standard. They were able to take a bunch of boxes.

Right. And one of the things I remember World Tea Expo, they had a we had a panel or it was either a panel or a course or something on that at one point where there was acknowledgment that there were some companies exploiting the trend towards organic was the big trend at the time. I think we've moved beyond that as consumers.

But at the time, organic was the I think so was the buzz. And there were companies that were known to not have not produce actually very good product. But so then they made the switch to certifying organic so that they could command a higher price for their lesser quality tea.

[Kevin]
Organic Oreos all the way. No, but absolutely. You saw a lot of it was called greenwashing.

[Michelle]
Yes.

[Kevin]
In the 2010s, where companies would just, you know, repackage their product in a nice earth green. And they'd say, you know, USDA, organic certified, blah, blah, blah. But it didn't necessarily mean very much.

[Michelle]
Yeah. The other the other problem that I came again, I can only speak to it as a tea buyer. But the other thing that I came across as a buyer was that I would find out, you know, when you meet people and you network in the industry, find out that in some cases people would pay for that certification.

And it wasn't necessarily super legit. Right. And I'm not I'm not saying that that's a widespread practice because I don't know and I don't have the expertise to comment on that.

But I know that it happened.

[Kevin]
If there's money to be had. If there's money on the table, then someone is always going to try to exploit that. That's just human nature, unfortunately.

[Michelle]
Yeah. And I make this parallel between, you know, what I learned being a tea buyer and also what I know about food is that, you know, it's good that we're seeing these trends towards more consumer consciousness, consumers caring about what's in their food and asking questions and paying attention to those things, because you should never make a buying decision based on a logo, like a little symbol on the package, right? Because if that symbol can be is a process that can be paid for, like it means nothing.

[Kevin]
Basically, it's just another form of marketing. And we all know you can't trust marketing.

[Michelle]
So staying closer to your food is like this is where live natural good quality is always the best barometer because there's a much better chance that you're going to know the farmer. At the farmer's market, or you're going to know what's in your backyard, in your garden or whatever, then you're going to know something that was, you know, shipped thousands of kilometers before it landed on a shelf. And then you're just hoping that the package is correct.

[Kevin]
Right. Exactly, exactly.

[Michelle]
And then finally, the then the fifth one on this list is indulgence. Consumers still welcome indulgent opportunities. And, you know, I talked about this in the last episode and you know that I was very I recognize this very much about my consumer when I had the tea room was that we wanted to make decadent foods, decadent things that you could have with your tea a little bit healthier than they were before, right?

Because it's not like people didn't want the scone and people didn't want the crema and they didn't want the cheesecake. They just wanted to feel better about eating it. Right.

So exactly. They want indulgent. This new generation wants indulgent foods.

It said nearly three quarters of those that they surveyed in this particular survey, 71 percent stated that regular indulgent moments are important to their dietary priorities. OK, and indulgence not necessarily only taste. Sometimes it was taste, but also connecting to nostalgia, celebrating a special event, right, sharing something home baked or, you know, some sort of, you know, favorite, favorite item, favorite food.

And that almost 92 percent of respondents indicated that great taste was extremely important in their eating goals.

[Kevin]
So what I want to do is I want to meet those eight percent of the people who said, no, I'm perfectly fine eating food that doesn't taste great. Yeah, that's like those, you know, that one out of five dentists who doesn't recommend using toothpaste. Like I want to meet them and see what makes their brain tick.

[Michelle]
I feel like that eight percent or the eight percent that used to actually eat rice based cheese.

[Kevin]
Maybe, maybe.

[Michelle]
I don't know who those people were, but yeah, no, they were never in my kitchen.

[Kevin]
No, that's that's it. But I mean, I think that that I think that indulgence and, you know, sort of the decadent discussion just ties into the fact that, you know, we need to acknowledge that food is critically important to us.

[Michelle]
It's how we connect with people. It's it's it's how we celebrate.

[Kevin]
Exactly. And so it's important to whether you're, you know, as you were listing, like, you know, whether you're connecting to nostalgia or connecting to your global heritage, maybe, or celebrating an event or celebrating with friends. Food is always at the center of that generally.

And it's important to have good food. Unless, of course, you're celebrating with one of those eight percent of the people who don't like good food, in which case then you can just give them whatever the hell you want to give them. And it's no big deal.

Don't worry about the taste because they don't care.

[Michelle]
Yeah, like I would I would much rather if I wanted to be conscious and all those things, I would much rather enjoy your three ingredient peppermint bark than a box of chocolates that came from who knows where, you know, some some department store or drugstore or something like that.

[Kevin]
Yeah, no, absolutely.

[Michelle]
So that that's that's the end of the list for today. And I just thought I just thought those two I came across in my inbox and I thought that it was super interesting. And, you know, it's very validating that we're we seem to be on point with the things that we're talking about and reassuring our noobs that, you know, it comes down to, you know, eat your greens, eat your plants, be real, eat real food.

That and that's where the world is headed. And I think it's an important message to reinforce because it's still very easy to get lost in pervasive marketing and the smells as you're driving down the street in fast food landia. Yeah, that still may leave us with the impression that those who are thinking these ways are the minority.

But if you actually look at broader food trends nationally and internationally, that is not the case that they are becoming much more of the minority.

[Kevin]
Exactly. And everyone is much more aware and focused on what they're putting into their bodies and how that impacts both themselves and the planet at large.

[Michelle]
Yeah. Keep the main thing, the main thing. Keep the keep the plants front and center on the plate.

And then when you want to have some of those other animal based foods, make sure they're really good quality.

[Kevin]
Exactly. And most importantly, don't trust AI for your nutrition information.

[Michelle]
OK, mic drop. Don't trust Chad TPT with your nutrition advice.

[Kevin]
Yeah, exactly. Dear Chad TPT, is it OK for me to eat, for me to try the donut diet? Is that going to be good for me?

Why? Yes, of course it is. Go ahead and do that right now.

That's my Chad TPT voice.

[Michelle]
I was going to say that's that that's kind of a circa Space Odyssey 2001 type of computer voice.

[Kevin]
Yeah, exactly. Hal, I'm afraid I can't do that for you. Hal?

[Michelle]
I forget the guy's name. Oh, Hal was the computer.

[Kevin]
No, the computer was Hal. I forget. I can't do that for you.

Bumble Bummy. Anyways. Well, thank you for these trends.

This has been very interesting and it's it's it's interesting to see. And and it is very heartening to know that we're not alone.

[Michelle]
I thought this was a good way to kick off the new year, you know?

[Kevin]
Yeah, totally. With so many we talk about trends and and, you know, so many resolution. Try this diet.

You know, you'll lose a million pounds in a minute.

[Michelle]
I feel like this this is a landscape that is changing so fast, right? Like food and nutrition is changing, is adapting and evolving more in the last 10 years than I think it has in the last 50. Right.

So yeah, yeah, it's crazy. So, yeah.

[Kevin]
You need to you need to understand what you're putting in your body and you need to educate yourself a little bit.

[Michelle]
But I'm trying to stay on top of it for y'all.

[Kevin]
And we are so much better than Chachi PT and much funnier.

[Michelle]
Not that I don't love AI. AI is kind of one of those things. It's very fun and it's very interesting, but also terrifying.

[Kevin]
It has its it has its moments. But AI, but can AI deliver a dad joke like me?

[Michelle]
Well, OK, lay it on me, my friend.

[Kevin]
OK, here we go. I got two for you because I'm still trying to make up for, you know, our months off the air. So first one.

And you had a list, too. So number one, I want a list. I want to read off a list.

[Michelle]
Top dad jokes of 2024.

[Kevin]
Yeah. Oh, that'd be a long list. I couldn't whittle them down.

OK, what kind of bagel can travel?

[Michelle]
I don't know. I feel like the answer is going to be obvious, but I have no idea.

[Kevin]
A plane bagel.

[Michelle]
Oh, my God. That one's actually cute.

[Kevin]
OK, and this, I'm in love with this next one. OK, this is like my sense of humor to a T.

[Michelle]
Should you be building this up so much like it?

[Kevin]
Maybe not. Well, no, because if you get it, then let's be friends. If you don't get it, then then it's just it's over.

Yeah, exactly. I can't even say that. OK, what's the best way to catch a fish?

[Michelle]
I don't know, Kevin, what is the best way to catch a fish?

[Kevin]
Ask someone to throw it to you.

[Michelle]
Oh, my God.

[Kevin]
See, that is just. Say goodnight, Gracie. That's right up my alley.

Good night, Gracie.

[Michelle]
Most of our listeners will have no idea about that reference.

[Kevin]
Well, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. Hopefully they understand it.

If you don't Google it, I'm sure chat GPT will explain about goodnight, Gracie. OK, well, on that note, thank you, Michelle, as always, for the information. And thank you, listeners.

If you have a question for Michelle or if you just want to tell me to shut up with my jokes, feel free to email us at n4noobs at gmail.com. That's n, the number four, n o o b s at gmail.com. And until next time, eat your greens and be real.

This has been Nutrition for Noobs. We hope you're a bit more enlightened about how your fantastic and complicated body works with the food you put into it. If you have a question or a topic you'd like Michelle to discuss, drop us a line at n4noobs at gmail.com.

That's the letter n, the number four, n o o b s at gmail.com. If you haven't already, you can subscribe to the podcast on whatever your favourite platform might be. Also, please consider leaving a review or telling your friends.

That's the best way to spread the word. We'll see you next time with another interesting topic. The views and opinions expressed on Nutrition for Noobs are those of the hosts.