I've been on the road a lot lately. In October, I attended the American Dietetic Association Food & Nutrition Conference & Exhibition (FNCE), in St. Louis, Missouri. Restaurants were packed with dietitians (& locals rooting against the Astros!).

Quiz: How can you spot a FNCE dietitian from a mile away?

A. the power suit

B. the line of women outside the single conference center Starbucks

C. they're the only ones using the hotel health club (a closet-size room with equipment from 1988)

D. they carry a bright blue bag advertising Equal

E. all of the above

Answer: E.

Imagine the impact to a city invaded by 10,000 dietitians. Waiters & waitresses are blindsided as dietitians land in local eateries with overwhelming amounts of questions and exhausting numbers of substitutions, sides, and separate checks. It's great to see the food neuroses of dietitians all out on the table.

We all clamor for nutrition science galore as it is presented and summarized by day and debate about it over drinks by night. Friendly gatherings can quickly turn into heated nutritional debates over soy vs. whey, low fat vs. high fat, honey vs. maltodextrin, solids vs. liquids, calcium carbonate or calcium citrate, organic vs. genetically modified, fiber vs. whole grains.

From the research presented arises data. And from data comes recommendations. And from recommendations come nutrition trends. Some of the latest food trend have already gone mainstream while others wait to tip.

Here's a list of What's Hot & What's Not straight from the conference and exhibit floor:

NOT	HOT
faux meat	safe meat
low carb	whole grains
complex ingredients	simple ingredients
artificial sweeteners	dark chocolate
bad-tasting gluten-free bread	great-tasting gluten-free bread
diet sodas	tea
sugar-free	low-glycemic
isoflavones	flavanols
disease prevention	health promotion

In the next few days, don't forget vegetables should have a place at your Thanksgiving table, too—in addition to mashed potatoes!