Seaweed joins kale as must-have on health-conscious menu

ANDREA BARTHELEMY

NEW YORK: North American eating habits are changing. Hamburger and macaroni cheese were once snacks of choice for many, but growing numbers are choosing healthier dishes – as long as they’re affordable.

In a country where even eating kale seemed sophisticated a couple of years ago, there are now plenty more health foods to choose from.

The cooking blog in The New York Times has 200 recipes with kale as an ingredient, whether hot, cold or pureed in the blender.

Could seaweed build up a similar place in the diet of the urban foodie? Seaweed is developing a reputation as the “new kale”.

Primarily known for its use in sushi, seaweed is getting attention from cooks across the country. Nutritionists have long held seaweed in high regard because it provides roughage, anti-oxidants and iodine. This year will see if seaweed snack bars or bacon-flavoured seaweed for breakfast will make the breakout.

Acai berries, too, have become a popular addition to the US breakfast table. The berries come from Brazil, are packed with vitamins and are eaten with other fruit and porridge. Surfers on the American West Coast discovered the berry years ago and the fruit is undergoing a revival.

Also coming is purer food. Two of the leading fast casual food chains in the US have pledged not to use artificial additives, preservatives or genetically manipulated ingredients in their meals.

Eggs produced by caged chickens are also increasingly taboo. .

Thanks to the high price of quality meat, and fears over the use of hormones in farm animals, vegetables are playing a bigger role too.

Even non- vegetarian restau- rants are providing more space on plates for pulses. Beans are a great source of protein, while vegetables are now considered a low- carb alternative to pasta.

Sour is also regaining popularity after the long reign of sweet. Mixed pickles, Korean kimchi and sauerkraut have all become in foods for the health conscious. Homemade kimchi is a trend, thanks in part to its high vitamin C content. – ANA-dpa