2024 ACF Trends

By Amelia Levin

March Food As Medicine

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Hippocrates’ famed quote seems even more relevant today as more consumers prioritize their health and wellness.

According to Datassential’s 2024 Food Trends report, mental health, cutting calories, getting more sleep and eating immune-boosting foods grew the most as top-of-mind consumer health goals from last year to this year.

Food as Medicine, our March trend in honor of National Nutrition Month, continues to gain traction as a serious discipline in the medical community and a growing segment in its own right in the culinary industry — even if food has been used like medicine as far back as ancient times.

ACF’s Culinary Nutrition MasterCraft Summit, held in August last year, focused exclusively on this topic, with a presenter lineup that included dietitians, doctors, culinary medicine chef/instructors and other culinarians focused on nutrition sciences.

So what, exactly, is culinary medicine? Dr. John LaPuma, a trained chef and early pioneer in the field, defines it as “an evidence-based field in medicine that blends the art of food and cooking with the science of medicine… aimed at helping people reach good personal medical decisions about accessing and eating high-quality meals that help prevent and treat disease and restore well-being.”

While plant-forward everything continues to trend, culinary medicine takes that approach one step further, zeroing in on specific foods and food combinations that can help prevent or treat different diseases and conditions. For example, we know that combining turmeric and curcumin, found in black peppercorns (a combo prevalent in Indian curries), creates a powerful elixir for combating inflammation in the body and improving overall immunity and joint health. Garlic, onion and other alliums are known for their antiviral and antibacterial properties, and as prebiotics, they feed probiotics found in fermented foods to improve gut health. For healthy lungs and respiratory health, beets and carrots pack a powerful punch. Mushrooms are having a moment, too, providing a good dose of vitamin D for immunity post-pandemic; it’s not uncommon to see shelves lined with powdered blends at natural food stores.

So what does this mean for chefs? Many health care and university chefs are already in the game, but even if you work at a club, hotel or independent restaurant, consumers want more thought-out, healthy options when dining out. Check out the Chef-to-Chef article written by ACF Chef Jim Perko Sr., CEC, AAC , executive chef at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine, explaining why we should care about culinary medicine in the first place, along with a few tips for cooking and menu planning. This issue’s Health article examines five different fruits packed with nutrition and how they can be used in savory dishes, not just drinks and desserts. Stay tuned for more continuing education offered by ACF. In addition, there are growing numbers of institutions around the country offering courses and continuing education in culinary medicine, including well-known ones offered at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans and at the ACF-accredited Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food in Bentonville, Ark. Ask anyone in this field: Culinary medicine is an exciting discipline and a surface we’re only just beginning to scratch.

APRIL "HIGHER" CUISINE

There are plenty of jokes around 420, the cannabis culture slang signaling us to “smoke ’em if you got ’em.” But this budding business is no laughing matter. As more states legalize recreational cannabis, there’s been an explosion of products in the marketplace, including edibles in the form of gummies, chocolates and other baked goods that don’t require inhaling. And as scientists discover more health properties behind the plant, stigmas around what was once referred to as a “gateway drug” are fading fast. Today, there are high-inducing and non-high-inducing cannabinoids that can help manage stress, anxiety, sleep, appetite regulation and overall inflammation. Read more about these benefits (and about Niagara Falls Cooking Institute’s cooking with cannabis courses) in this issue’s On the Side article.

Indeed, health benefits appear to spark more interest in cannabis products among consumers than merely the prospect of getting high, according to thirdparty research firm Datassential. Just under half of consumers have tried both THC (53%) and non-high-inducing CBD (55%) products, according to Datassential’s Cannabis report published in November 2023.

When it comes to culinary cannabis, millennials and Gen Z consumers tend to show the greatest interest. CBD is increasingly being seen on menus in everything from alcoholic drinks to doughnuts. According to Datassential’s report, it could be found on 0.6% of menus in the U.S. That number sounds minimal, but it represents an increase of 328% over the last four years.

While cannabis is not legally allowed on restaurant menus, chefs are experimenting with THC-infused dishes like sousvide lamb chops with smoky, THC-laced eggplant puree and marijuana bud “dusting,” that can be served at private dinners that don’t officially charge guests but might ask for donations.

What we could see next is the growth of cannabis lounges, which would allow on-site consumption, though prohibit the use of alcohol. Case in point: In October 2021, Nevada’s state cannabis licensing board began accepting applications for cannabis lounges, where on-site consumption would be allowed. And in New York, state lawmakers have reportedly begun to explore legislation that would allow restaurants to sell THC-infused foods, beverages and edibles. If you’re interested in culinary cannabis, “The time is now to get in the game,” says ACF Chef Nathan Koscielski, CCE , an instructor at NFCI. You can also start by checking out ACF’s Specialized Certificate in Culinary Cannabis and Edibles , available through the Online Learning Center. After all, it’s 4:20 somewhere.