Veggie treats and pea protein cited as FNCE food trends

At the recent  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo  (FNCE), the following food trends were spotted.

 Veggie treats. These include zucchini-chocolate-chip cookies Green Plate Foods. Made with zucchini puree, these cookies look and taste identical to traditional chocolate chip cookies. Zucchini is an ideal vegetable to add to baked products due to its mild flavor and high moisture content (94.7 percent water, by weight). Veggie muffins are another (Garden Lites). The first ingredients in these muffins are vegetables, so they contain half the calories, five times the fiber (5 grams vs. 1 gram), and half the sugar (11 grams vs. 22 grams) compared with traditional muffins. And then there's fruit shredz.  (Plum Organics). These fruit snacks have pumpkin, carrots and kale to naturally enhance color, flavor and nutrition. Added sugars are out, and fun fruit snacks with vegetables are in.