What will the year hold for the world of food?

It’s fun to sit back and see what everyone predicts will tickle our palates in the coming months. Many are continuing trends toward a more healthful, natural diet, especially through alternative sourcing of raw ingredients.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) asked 1,282 members of the American Culinary Federation to rate “hot” items and the top 10 included locally grown produce (No. 2), organic produce (3), sustainable seafood (7) and grass-fed items (8). That is no doubt in response to consumers saying they want to eat more healthfully when dining out. Seventy-six percent of them to be exact, according to Sue Hensley, NRA’s vice president of marketing, communications and media relations.

Likewise Food & Wine magazine’s forecast of top trends includes pasture-raised chickens and restaurants using their own farm-raised produce.

Finally, McCormick, the world’s largest spice company, cites the nation’s interest in wellness, passion for ingredients from around the globe, as well as the desire for local and artisan food as the driving forces in taste. They’ve singled out some spices with antioxidants which are thought to block chemical reactions in the body that can damage tissues and promote cancer and premature aging.

With all that in mind, the company has developed flavor pairings for 2008 and leading the way is chile and cocoa. Chocolate-y and spicy is perfect for today’s diners with their love for the richness of cocoa and the kick of a chile. Plus a high cocoa content in chocolate has lots of antioxidant flavanoids, considered to offer protection against disease. Likewise McCormick offers the combination of beans and oregano as the intersection of functional food and flavor, and an antioxidant powerhouse.

McCormick also notes a yin and yang pairing of sage and rye whiskey. Sage has been acclaimed for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and rye is some powerful American liquor. Cardamom and vanilla bean is also sure to entice those who love their luxurious tastes which are both aromatic and sweet.

Beyond the pantry Food & Wine also predicts an old-fashioned candy renaissance, that punch will make a comeback and that Americans will care about green beer but not the St. Patrick’s Day kind but the ones that reduce a company’s carbon footprint.

Also on the magazine’s list of top trends: tea blends, haute frozen food, nuts from around the world, chef-run noodle bars and chefs cooking out of trucks on the street and a boom in Belgian bistros. Torrontes is the hot Argentinean wine but other wines to watch include Hungarian table wine, California white blends, Chardonnay from Oregon and Japanese beers.

Craft beer is a beverage trend according to the NRA’s Hensley and everyone can expect more beer dinners at fine restaurants as beer gets more sophisticated. Flights of beer will be popular but so, too, will big cocktail menus. Martinis and mojitos will stay dominant. Look for restaurants to offer more complimentary food at the bar, she said. Organic wines and artisan liquor (made in small batches or micro-distilled) will be of much interest.

But at the very top of the NRA’s hot items list are bite-size desserts (No. 1), small and tapas plates (4), specialty sandwiches (5), energy drink cocktails (9), flavored salts (10) and flatbreads (12). Number 11 on the list is ethnic fusion cuisine. Leading the passÉ list is fruit-flavored wine (voted so by 63 percent of chefs), low-carb dough (60 percent) and tofu (59 percent).

A growing trend mentioned on many lists is the fortification of foods with healthy bacteria also known as probiotics. It’s why yogurt is considered such a health food with all those active cultures to promote digestive health and immunity. But now there are drinks and chocolate and granola bars that do the same thing. Find many of them in the refrigerated dairy case next to the yogurts.