Get in on the ground floor of some trends for 2007, some of which either promise to keep you from eating more, or make you lose weight. At the moment, I am at my desk just before Christmas eating Enstrom’s almond toffee candy (thanks to my great friends at Ashland Gallery).

Little did they know that growing up this was a Christmas staple at my house – my mother received it every year from my father. In January I am back on my eating program. But here are some national trends we can expect in 2007.

First of all, our interest in and eating of chocolate will continue to increase. And it is quality we want. Chocolate is expected to become a $1.8-billion market. Gourmet and dark chocolate are growing faster than the overall chocolate market. We no longer are satisfied with Hershey’s kisses. Over $310 million in gourmet chocolate was sold in 2005!

What has happened is distribution channels have opened for gourmet chocolates beyond specialty and high-end department stores. Also the larger chocolate companies such as Hershey have purchased small, high-end chocolate firms and have introduced them to the masses.

What matters is the high level of cocoa in the chocolate – and as a nation we have acquired a taste for dark, plus there are health benefits touted – which lead us to think we can eat it with abandon. According to market research, younger adults, those not married, college graduates that are condo dwellers rank significantly above average as consumers of fancy chocolate.

I have always preferred dark chocolate over milk, but until recently this has been hard to find. I was always the one who ate the special dark squares in the Hershey mix assortment. And when we were in France, the best chocolate store in Paris was a couple of blocks from our apartment, and I went wild purchasing darks.

The next trend is that we continue to seek local sources for fruits and vegetables. Just in our area, Jimmy Lowe’s on Old Shell Road and a number of farmer’s markets are flourishing. The downtown market on Saturday’s has fabulous local items that roll in as they are harvested all throughout the summer and fall. It has proven to be such a success that Springhill has one and other districts want them as well.

Let’s just hope that we get more farmers rather than stretching thin the ones we have. Nationwide, farmer’s markets have seen an increase of 74 percent in the last decade.

In addition to seeking quality in chocolate, fresh vegetables and fruits, this year is to see a return to traditional quality when it comes to breakfast foods. No more emphasis toward “on the go” items such as cereal bars and the like. There will also be a blurring of market niches, as McDonald’s has began selling “gourmet” blend coffee (tastes the exact same to me) and Starbucks will soon enter into the breakfast business.

After eating all that chocolate, and a healthy breakfast marketers are hoping you will want to drink away the pounds or keep yourself from binging on snacks. Coke and Nestea have combined forces to create Enviga, which claims to be a calorie-burning beverage along with another product called Celsius.

Enviga is a sparkling green tea that comes in three flavors – green tea, berry or peach. Coke claims it burns 60-100 calories per 3 12 ounce cans – but that comes to only 20-33 per can. It contains EGCG, a natural antioxidant and the drink also will “gently increase your metabolism.”

I am late to the game on Celsius, heck their Web site says I can pick it up at any Circle K. On the market since Spring 2005, this beverage comes in lemon-lime, ginger ale, cola, orange and wild berry. A calorie-burning energy drink, blind research has shown that it raises metabolism by 12 percent and significantly increases calorie burning for three hours. After I write this I plan to try some – the promises are enticing so I may become a fan.

On the heels of burning calories come satiating, enhancing foods that will keep you, according to one Web site, from “snacking your way to obesity.” One of these is the Lightfull Satiety Smoothie. Satiety is defined as the state of being full and gratified to the point of satisfaction.

These smoothies come in four flavors – chocolate fudge, café latte, peaches and cream and strawberry and cream. To determine the satiety number, you add the grams of protein and fiber, multiply by 100, divide by the number of calories – this is called the fullness index. The higher the number the more benefit. These smoothies have a 12-13 level, a luna bar 7, apple 3 and a snickers bar 2.

This is not found in any Mobile stores, but are at Whole Foods or can be ordered with free shipping from amazon.com.

So how about good-for-you beer? Yes “better 4 you beers” are on the market. Stampede Light, a beer out of Texas, is enhanced with natural vitamins, in addition to those already in beer. The company cannot claim or list any vitamins for some FDA reason, but it is said to be high in Vitamin B.

For those of you lonely and drinking beer, more foods will also be on the market made for one or two servings. Recent data shows the average household size is a bit over two (unless you have a “little person” at home, how do they get to that 2.2 number?), and food companies are seizing on this demographic. Green Giant is coming out with an entire series called “Just for One” and Naman’s market has many frozen and prepared meals for one or two people.

So here is to a full belly in 2007 that is easy on the chocolate, plentiful with local fruits and vegetables and you burn calories from all the energy drinks.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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