Want to know what foods you’ll be seeing more of next year? The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association (CRFA) surveyed 400 chefs and asked them to identify the hottest new food trends. Although researchers asked our neighbors to the north, the foods topping the list are similar to ones I’ve spotted at recent New York food shows. What are they? Ancient grains (kamut, spelt and quinoa), gluten-free beer and Middle Eastern cuisine. I’m very excited for that third trend to hit!

We told you about the big debate on taxing sodas before; now a new study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine shows that taxing soda may be better for our health. Researchers at the University of North Carolina looked at the eating habits of more than 5,000 young adults over the span of 20 years and found that when food costs more, people tend eat fewer calories. Their conclusion: If we paid 18% more for regular soda and other sweetened beverages, we’d consume 56 fewer calories each day and lose around five pounds a year! (Speaking of soda, check out the debate our users struck up in this week's "Diet Soda: Good or Bad?" post.)

Many folks enjoy following a raw food diet these days. I even got to experience a vegan raw food dinner in New York City a few months ago. But going raw also comes with a few food safety issues. Registered dietitian Keri Gans has some smart tips to make sure the raw food experience is delicious and safe. Some major advice: wash your produce correctly! That is, under cold, running water with a scrub brush; be sure to wash and then toss the outer layer of fruits such as mango and melon. This gets rid of any lingering bacteria that you might normally kill off while cooking food. But remember to only wash fruits just before eating them (storing produce after washing promotes mold growth).

Many of our readers ask us for personalized diet advice and we usually suggest that they see a registered dietitian (like Dana and myself) for one-on-one consultation. When seeking out nutrition experts, you may have heard many titles floating around -- nutritionist, health coach or nutrition specialist -- and wondered what the heck is the difference? This informative article explains it well. Still confused? Ask us!