Article originally appears in the May 24, 2019 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator.

What words or terms keep showing up in the popular press? Read on…

Nutrition buzzwords

**There’s refined, processed and now ultra-processed which popped up in this recently published study which comes with some caveats (the study ran for 2 2-week periods and was a small study although it was a randomized, controlled trial). The results are stunning and deserve more research: Ultra-processed foods drive weight gain @
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/05/16/723693839/its-not-just-salt-sugar-fat-study-finds-ultra-processed-foods-drive-weight-gain
https://www.health.com/mind-body/6-ultra-processed-foods-to-throw-out-right-now.
A definition of ultra-processed is @ https://thetakeout.com/ultra-processed-foods-risk-early-death-study-definition-1832560621. First introduced in 2009, it is a way to classify foods according to their amount of processing and the UN uses it in their research.

**Adaptogenic herbal plants are ones that may produce stress-protective responses in the body @ https://foodandnutrition.org/september-october-2017/exploring-adaptogenic-herbs/. A database to learn more about the effectiveness of these herbs is @ https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/herb_All.html

**CBD (cannabidiol), an extract of the cannabis plant, is an acronym to keep up with as the market for edibles containing it continues to grow. Here’s an update from the Food Politics website @
https://www.foodpolitics.com/2019/04/another-update-on-cbd-and-marijuana-edibles-and-drinkables/

**Reducitarian/flexitarian: a reducitarian eats less animal protein to improve health, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid animal cruelty. Learn more about this movement @ https://reducetarian.org/. A flexitarian diet is also called semi-vegetarian and focuses on plants with occasional animal foods. More @ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/flexitarian-diet-guide

Environmental buzzwords
**5 sustainable buzz words to know (circular food systems, flexitarian, hyper-local, wild crafted, permaculture) @ https://www.supermarketguru.com/articles/modern-sustainable-food-buzz-words-to-know/ and more about hyper-local @ https://www.retaildietitians.com/articles/the-move-from-local-to-hyperlocal/ which though often means growing within a few miles, in some cases may include restaurants growing ingredients on-site.

Food buzzwords

**Ancient grains such as farro, isn’t a scientific or botanical term. It refers to grains that have been around for a long time and are mostly unchanged. More @ https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0816p44.shtml

**Instant Pot: When I searched on Amazon for cookbooks using this appliance I found 4000 results using ‘Instant Pot.’ What is it and when did it arrive on the scene? Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker first available in 2010 on Amazon @ https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/26/how-instant-pot-became-a-kitchen-appliance-with-a-cult-following.html. A Consumer report buying guide for multi-cookers including Instant Pot @ https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/multi-cookers/buying-guide. And find out if Instant Pot makes it easier to prepare healthy foods (hint: it’s quick and versatile) @ https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/instant-pot-secret-healthy-eating/. Before we leave Instant Pot, note one person’s concerns about it @ https://www.insider.com/should-i-buy-instant-pot-review-2017-10 (times are way off, can’t tinker w/recipes).

**Another appliance that emerged in 2010 is the airfryer @ https://foodandnutrition.org/from-the-magazine/air-fryer-healthier-alternative-oil-filled-frying/. It’s described as a countertop convection oven – hot air goes around food in a fryer-type basket making it crisp while it cooks @ http://kitchenweapon.com/a-brief-history-of-the-airfryer/. Here are Consumer Reports recommendations @ https://www.consumerreports.org/air-fryers/best-air-fryers-of-the-year/. Is cooking with the air fryer healthy? Airfrying decreases calories, fat and acrylamide content @ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/air-fryer

**Tiger nuts/chufa nuts/earth almonds/earthnuts are actually the roots of an African plant and they taste like chestnuts. They may become more popular in the future because they have resistant starch according to the article @ https://foodandnutrition.org/from-the-magazine/what-are-tiger-nuts/.

**Bone broth is EVERYWHERE. What is it? (Hint: It’s considered stock but is thicker because of the collagen that gets cooked out of the bones, stock is thinner because of the juices from meat.) More @ https://www.bonappetit.com/story/difference-between-bone-broth-and-stock

Other buzzwords

**School lunch shaming: It reared its ugly head recently when a Rhode Island school district gave sandwiches, not hot lunches, to those children with unpaid school lunch debt. The Chobani CEO paid that bill and it seems the school district was shamed into revoking its policy @ https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/12/politics/school-lunch-shaming-children-debt/index.html. Read more about school lunch debt (it may get addressed when child nutrition is reauthorized) @ https://newfoodeconomy.org/school-lunch-debt-usda/

**Clickbait: Think nutrition or health isn’t part of the online ways people are directed to a website, often to generate money? Go to @ https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/5/8/18537279/chum-box-weird-sponsored-links-gut-doctor. Examples of memes and revenue-generating links are provided. Beware!