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The new year is often a time of new resolutions—future ideas, future plans, and future goals. Here at Oldways, we certainly support the notion of improvement and have lots of plans in 2018 for continuing to spread the word about delicious, nutritious food. (We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say…one of those plans involves a new book. Shhh. No spoilers!)

However, we think it’s important to note that the new year is about more than just looking forward. It’s also about looking back—and recognizing the accomplishments and goals that you already achieved. In this, our first post of the brand new year, we want to take a moment to highlight some of our top 5 proudest moments in 2017. Join us on our walk down memory lane, won’t you?

1. A NEW WHOLE GRAIN STAMP

You’ve known and loved the Whole Grain Stamp since 2005, when it first appeared on packaging products. But did you know that, in 2017, we introduced a brand new Stamp? The 50%+ Stamp debuted just about a year ago, and is used to denote when at least half of a product’s grain ingredients are whole grain ingredients. The next time you’re at the store, keep your eye out! You’ll see it on items like King Arthur’s apple-cinnamon whole grain muffin mix, Panera at Home’s whole grain sliced bread, Prairie City Bakery’s vanilla waffles, and a whole bunch of others. Want to know more about all three of our Stamps? Get the Whole Grain Stamp breakdown here.

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2. A culinary tour to the italian riviera

Did you know that Oldways does culinary travel? On one of our 2017 trips, we traveled with chef Barbara Lynch and art expert Ronni Baer to explore the food and culture of the Italian Riviera (we also did a brief hop over to Menton, France—because why not?!). It’s hard to pick a favorite moment from all of the olive oil, wine, and food tastings—but certainly one of the highlights was Barbara Lynch’s cooking demonstration at Ristorante Mirazur, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. Check out our memories from the trip, and consider joining us on one of our 2018 Italian adventures!

3. 150+ Trained Teachers for A Taste of African Heritage

One of Oldways’ central tenets is the idea of health through heritage: that a turn back to the heritage diets of your own ancestors is one of the best ways to lead a healthy lifestyle. That’s why we created the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993, and it’s why we continue to develop programs like A Taste of African Heritage—cooking and nutrition classes that highlight the traditional foods of the African diaspora. 


In 2017, we were thrilled to train more than 150 people to teach A Taste of African Heritage classes across the country, and we hope to grow our ranks even more this coming year. If you’d like to know more about becoming an ATOAH teacher (anyone can get certified!), we want to hear from you!

4. Our 2017 Book: 12 Ways to Use Vegetables

26 vegetables and 12 ways to use each. Our latest book came out in 2017 and has been a smash hit with all of you veggie lovers out there—and even those among you who are a little skeptical of a plant-based diet. Vegetarian or not, this book is for anyone who has ever had a vegetable that they just didn’t know what to do with. For more on the book, including an excerpt, read our recent blog about it—and to add it to your bookshelf, head over to our shop!

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5. International Mediterranean Diet Month

When Oldways was first founded back in the 1990s, the Mediterranean Diet was our big focus. At a time when olive oil was considered an exotic ingredient, we taught about its health benefits, promoted its use, and helped to bring it into the mainstream American diet. We also emphasized some other core elements of a healthy lifestyle that often get left out of popular fad diets—like community meals. Although the Mediterranean Diet is now universally recognized as one of the healthier lifestyle choices, we never tire of singing its praises! And although we think you should make every day Mediterranean, our celebrations culminate in May of every year, when we celebrate International Mediterranean Diet Month. This past year was one of our best yet, with a slew of activities. Relive the Mediterranean Diet celebration, and look forward to May of 2018 for the next celebration!

And what about you, friend of Oldways? What are YOUR 2017 highlights? 

Kelly Grace Weaver, Director of Marketing and Communications


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