Hurray for food critic and writer Jonathan Gold who dishes out his hit list of the 10 worst food trends

It's nice to find a food writer who gives restaurants the business for things like not accommodating it's patrons with requests and  charging outrageous prices for 'tap water' among other things. His list of trends are primarily restaurant related, but can we also add to these trends things like fad diets, GMO modified foods, “organic” items that aren't really organic?

To go along with this, this past November the Food Network released their 2011 Top Ten Foods to Watch, along with their 2011 Top Food Trends. Please note, I didn't say these trends were good or bad, just trends but it's fun to take a look at this list and see which ones you agree with.

In my case, I've become a big fan of canning. I've done apple/rhubarb sauce with rhubarb from my garden, jelly, tapenades (be careful with this one as it's low acid), and I'm getting ready to try some new jellies and chutneys along with tomato sauce.  I'm making my own hummus and experimenting with homemade cheeses.

This 'trend' is a great way to control what goes into your canned goods. You can use fresh organic produce if you choose and add your own spices and flavours using only the ingredients that YOU like. Most of these canned items last for about a year so you can enjoy the fruits of your canning and gardening labours for the entire year – preservative and additive free.

I am personally not terribly on board with the foods in the Foods toWatch list except for maybe the sweet potatoes, but to each his own as they say, and you know that next year there will be a whole new list of trendy foods to choose from.

The Canadian department of Agriculture and Agri Food has developed a list of Canadian Food Trends to 2020 which points out some very interesting directions including the shift toward more meatless meals, organic foods, and a closer look at safety and food production issues among others. The list is short, but a quick read shows the trends in the industry already taking place.

As the population ages and health becomes more of a factor in our lives, consumers are becoming more educated and increasingly aware of just what goes into the foods we eat, where they come from, and how they are produced.

Eating for longevity is a topic for another blog, but for the time being, check out the trends and decide for yourself, maybe even put on your mother's apron and try 'putting up' some jam.

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Leslie Kollar has over 20 years of experience in the health care field in both the U.S. and Canada. She has worked professionally in medical offices and hospital administration, using her BA in Communications/Public Relations and MBA in Marketing. She has also seen the other side of the health care coin as a 15 year cancer survivor. As a survivor she is passionate that each and every person is and should be responsible for their own health - and with this passion she hopes to inspire, inform and educate through HealthWorldNet.