Trendy alternatives to old favorites

Every year, I get a list of new and trendy foods to be on the lookout for at our local grocery stores and markets. There does seem to be a trend towards more healthier foods. There are more varieties of baked crackers and chips; several of these varieties are made with popped corn and are quite tasty. Greek yogurt has become a dairy staple and there are new exotic flavors coming out weekly, it seems. I love some of the new coffee blends.

Here are some new products in grocery stores that you may not be aware of:

Burgers don't have to come from cows. For an alternative to beef burgers, there are several new meatless veggie burgers and bean burgers that are gluten-free and can be grilled right alongside beef burgers. Gardenburger makes a delightfully flavored Black Bean Chipotle veggie burger.

For pizza, Appligate has come out with a new mini-pepperoni product made from pork or turkey that was naturally fed with no antibiotics or hormones. They also contain no fillers.

Trop50 Raspberry Acai is a new juice from Tropicana with only 50 calories per serving. It is made from the acai berry and has no artificial sweeteners. This is a nice alternative to orange juice and it's packed full of antioxidants.

Equally as exciting as the new line of healthier, lower calorie products in grocery stores is the new menu items at some of our favorite restaurants.

Starbucks now offers an egg white, bacon and cheese sandwich on an English muffin that weighs in at 320 calories. This compares to 500 or more calories for their other sandwiches and pastries. You can always ask them to hold the bacon, to bring this down to 220 calories.

Wendy's has a new Asian cashew chicken salad that includes fire-roasted cashews and grilled chicken, and contains only 380 calories, 6 grams of fiber and 36 grams of protein. This new salad makes for an excellent healthy fast food choice.

Olive Garden also just introduced its chicken abruzzi as part of the restaurant's collection of lighter menu items, with only 575 calories. It's super-packed with protein and antioxidants from the chicken, kale and cannellini beans. To keep this meal at 575 calories, avoid the breadsticks!

This year's lineup of new foods is yummier and more nutritious than ever. Now there are no more excuses to not add some healthy varieties to your old standbys!

Dr. SeAnne Safaii, Ph.D., RDN, LD, is an associate professor at the University of Idaho.