Twenty trends for 2007

For decades, we've been told to shape up and eat better. Americans finally seem to be paying attention, perhaps because baby boomers are feeling their age. Or perhaps because the next generation was listening, if not following, all along. Lately, we've seen pomegranates and blueberries take root and reach into almost every food category.

Even dark chocolate was hyped as a health food. Our fascination with food has resulted in "gastro-porn," a term coined by trend-spotter Marian Salzman and futurist Ira Matathia, coauthors of Next Now: Trends for the Future (Palgrave Macmillan, $26.95) "It's one of the ironies of modern life that cooking shows and books are so hugely popular when much of the time we eat on the move or settle down in front of the TV with a microwaved frozen dinner," Salzman says. Here are our other picks for the top food trends and buzzwords for 2007. 1. ...