Hot Stuff: Fancy Food Proves Healthy, Too

Gourmet fare and health food may sound incompatible, but “good for you” was a recurrent theme at the 31st Winter Fancy Food Show held recently in San Francisco. From pomegranate juice to low-mercury canned tuna, many of the 80,000 specialty-food products on exhibit were pitched for their health benefits as much as their taste.

We scoured the calorie-packed aisles in search of some of the most intriguing new products coming to store shelves. Tea, mostly green because of its anti-oxidant levels, was hot _ and cold. Olive oils, linked to reduced heart disease, came from as far away as Australia. Exotic rice was offered as a whole grain.

Pomegranate, known for its cholesterol-reducing properties, seemed to be the flavor of the moment. Meyer lemon ran a close second.

Still, indulgence was the order of the day. From the richest, darkest chocolates to buttery crackers and cheddar cheese soaked in Guinness, the 1,100 exhibitors trotted out new renditions of all the guilty pleasures of the plate.

Ethnic foods _ including Persian ice creams, Asian cooking sauces and ready-to-eat Indian curries _ were popular. So were herbs and spices from many cultures, including salt from the Himalayas and the coast of Bali.

Here are some of the products we liked best.

ADORA CALCIUM

WHAT’S NEW: Manufacturers have been trying for years to make calcium supplements palatable, but the chalky texture has been a sticking point. Adora banishes the chalkiness in a disc of smooth chocolate with deep flavor that we’d be happy to eat every day. Each 30-calorie tablet contains 500 mg of calcium. Available in both milk and dark chocolate.

AVAILABLE AT: www. adoracalcium.com, coming soon to Target; $7 to $8 for 30 tablets.

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GINGER SOOTHER

WHAT’S NEW: Ginger tea, the classic home remedy for colds and the flu, now comes in a bottle with a pleasant blend of lemon and honey. It’s flavorful, soothing and not too sweet.

AVAILABLE AT: Whole Foods and www.gingerpeople.com; about $2 for 12 ounces.

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WILD PLANET TUNA

WHAT’S NEW: Even if the FDA hadn’t issued warnings about the levels of mercury in canned albacore tuna, we would have been attracted to Wild Planet’s “minimal mercury” albacore. Packed without additional liquid or oil, the fish is firm and flavorful. But the McKinleyville company also says the fish contains a little more than a third of the mercury the FDA found in national brands of albacore. That’s because Wild Planet uses only smaller, 3-year-old fish, which have not accumulated as much mercury as the older, larger fish more commonly canned.

AVAILABLE AT: www.1wild planet.com; about $5 for 6 ounces.

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THE GIRL & THE FIG SPICED FIG CHOCOLATE

WHAT’S NEW: Chocolate sauce takes on an exciting new personality when John Toulze, executive chef of the Sonoma restaurant where this sauce originated, blends together the rich fruitiness of figs with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a pinch of white pepper. We’d be content eating it by the spoonful straight out of the jar.

AVAILABLE AT: www.the girlandthefig.com; about $9 for 7.5 ounces.

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LOTUS FOODS BROWN KALIJIRA RICE

WHAT’S NEW: Brown rice gets the glamour treatment with this tiny grained rice that’s traditionally eaten on special occasions in Bengal. The variety usually is eaten as a white rice, but Lotus Foods of El Cerrito has it milled as a whole grain for extra texture and nutrition. It’s mild and nutty with a pleasant aroma.

AVAILABLE AT: Whole Foods and Mollie Stone’s, and www.lotusfoods.com; about $4 for 15 ounces.

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REPUBLIC OF TEA POMEGRANATE GREEN TEA

WHAT’S NEW: Pomegranate and green tea together, what more could an anti-oxidant seeker want? The good news is this new bestseller also tastes good. The fruity pomegranate flavor has just enough punch to overshadow the usual bitterness of green tea, yet its tart edge keeps the tea from being too sweet.

AVAILABLE AT: Cost Plus, Whole Foods and www.republicoftea.com; about $10 for 50 bags.

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JACKIE CHAN’S INSTAGREEN AND XTRAGREEN GREEN TEA

WHAT’S NEW: Yes, there’s a grinning movie star on the package. But silly marketing aside, these handy foil tubes of instant green tea from TeaTech of Salt Lake City turn a bottle of water into a zero-calorie refresher with half the caffeine of a cup of coffee and the anti-oxidants of eight cups of brewed green tea. We liked artificially sweetened lemon and the unsweetened original best.

AVAILABLE AT: GNC stores and www.teatech.com; $4 to $5 for a box of 15.

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FIZZY LIZZY SOFT DRINKS

WHAT’S NEW: Too many sodas are tooth-achingly sweet and leave you still feeling thirsty. Fizzy Lizzy’s, aimed at adult palates, are refreshing with their mixture of fruit juice and carbonated water. No sugar or corn syrup is added, and very little white grape juice is used as a sweetener. We’re fans of the exotic, marginally tart passion fruit flavor.

AVAILABLE AT: Whole Foods and www.fizzy lizzy.com; about $5 for a four-pack of 12-ounce bottles.

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MASHTI MALONE’S ICE CREAM

WHAT’S NEW: These Persian-style ice creams and sorbets have been favorites for years in Los Angeles, where brothers Mashti and Mehdi Shirvani run two scoop shops and a wholesale operation. And their exotic flavors have been sold in Bay Area Persian markets. But now the pair is seeking wider distribution. We swooned over flavors like the bright pink rose sorbet, which includes a startling yet tasty mix-in: crinkly strands of even pinker rice starch noodles. Rose water saffron ice cream with pistachios is suffused with the heady taste and intense yellow hue of the world’s most expensive spice. Orange blossom ice cream was smooth and subtle, more sedate but no less delicious.

AVAILABLE AT: www.mashti.com; about $5 a pint.

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PALAPA AZUL

WHAT’S NEW: Another chilly export from L.A., Palapa Azul has branched out from Mexican-style fruit bars to ice creams. We loved a new flavor, Mexican caramel, a cajeta and cookie dough concoction that will evoke sweet memories for anyone who ever drizzled the rich and sticky goat’s milk caramel on Maria wafers.

AVAILABLE AT: Select Whole Foods; about $4 to $6 a pint.

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HINT ESSENCE WATERS

WHAT’S NEW: At last, a clean-tasting, uncarbonated water with no added sweeteners, no calories and just a suggestion of flavor to stave off boredom. This drink from a new San Francisco company pairs purified water with a touch of taste. We like the cucumber, but other choices include pear, pomegranate-tangerine and the just-released peppermint.

AVAILABLE AT: Select Whole Foods; $1.79 for 15 ounces.

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(Knight Ridder Newspapers correspondent Julie Kaufmann contributed to this report.)

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(c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.).

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