Forecasting 2018 Nutrition Trends
Forecasting 2018 Nutrition Trends
Nutrition and the sphere of functional medicine is ever-evolving and it is always fun to look back at trends of the past year and see which will stay and which will go. From vitamin vaping and unicorn toast to superfood lattes and ketogenic diets, this past year has come with its own set of surprising trends, some of which we are much more privy to than others! We’ve sifted though some of the hype for you and come up with our own list of what we think is here to stay and what is a total waste of money. Find out which ones we think are here for the long haul and which ones we’d like to never see again! We recently did this as a podcast and you can listen to the full episode here!
5 Trends that are Here to Stay for 2018:
Superfood Lattes
Doctored up lattes are appearing in coffee shops and on nutrition blogs with ingredients such as turmeric, collagen, adaptogenic herbs and mushroom powder and we are big fans of adding superfoods to coffee or tea. This is an awesome way to turn your morning ritual into a way to pack in the nutrients! If you haven’t tried this, you can start by adding a scoop of collagen into coffee or try this Golden Turmeric Latte!
Bone Broth
Bone broth in powdered, frozen, bottled and shelf stable forms is cropping up all over the place and we love it for its gut healing properties! It is important to remember though that not all bone broth is created equal and shelf-stable versions may not contain the collagen and gelatin we are looking for to support gut health. The best option is to make your own, here is a recipe!
Probiotic Everything
We are hearing more than ever about the microbiome and seeing new probiotic products cropping up on grocery store shelves from sauerkraut shots to new kombucha brands to fermented pickled veggies. Probiotics are beneficial for immune health, the gut-brain connection, digestive health and beyond and while we find many different strains in our probiotic foods, start with a good baseline formula like Restore Baseline Probiotic.
The End of Fat Phobia
We are seeing healthy fat everywhere and lots of exciting new products on the market–new brands of grassfed ghee, coconut oil remains popular despite an attack on it earlier this year, a huge upswing in keto coffee etc., new nut butter brands, tons of travel friendly fats. And this all shows that people are not only eating more fat but also caring more about the quality of fat they are putting in the body. Healthy fats support satiety orfeeling of fullness, aid with building our hormones and support cell membrane health! Check out this matcha fat bomb recipe if looking to add more healthy fat to your diet!
Ketosis and Intermittent Fasting
Ketogenic diets were one of the biggest trends of 2017, and they are not going away anytime soon. Holiday recipes for keto diets were even oneof the biggesttrends over Thanksgiving on social media platforms. Benefits of a ketogenic diet include: accelerated fat loss, body composition change, hormonal regulation, increased energy, decreased sugar cravings, balanced blood sugar, improved cholesterol and triglycerides, improved cognitive function and balanced gut bacteria! For more information on how you can experience the benefits of ketosis with our Virtual Ketosis Program, click here.
5 Trends to Go Away (Pretty Please):
Juice Cleanses
We think it is safe to say that juice cleanses are on their way out. While an organic green juice vegetable with just a small amount of citrus can be a great antioxidant delivery, juices generally are a high carb delivery without any fiber, fat or protein to slow down absorption. A juice cleanse does not provide adequate nutritional support to detoxify the body and can actually lead to toxins being re-deposited in other places in the body. Stick with a nutritionally supported detox like our 10 Day Reset Restore Renew Program!
Mermaid & Unicorn Food
Multicolored food was all over instagram this past year from unicorn toast to mermaid frappucinos. Yes it looks great for a pretty picture but colors and glitter are NOT food. Stick with real, whole foods and if wanting a fun addition for a birthday cake or special treat, try natural ingredients like beet powder used in Stella’s First Birthday Cake.
At Home Food Sensitivity Panels
While we agree that food sensitivity testing can be a key component to getting to the bottom of digestive concerns, stubborn weight loss, skin conditions and fluid retention, not all food sensitivity panels are created equal. In fact, panels that test for IgG reactions alone can have a high rate of false positives and be misleading. It is important to work with a practitioner to help you interpret results for best outcomes. Check out the MRT Food Sensitivity Panel here!
SugarBear Gummy Hair Vitamins
If you haven’t seen these, celebs like the Kardashians are all about them. They are these little blue bears that claim they will make your hair amazingly shiny and strong.The ingredients list is basically straight up sugar and other than that, there’s nothing in them that a multivitamin wouldn’t have. AND some of the ingredients are not in a bioavailable or methylated form! The B-12 and folate in this vitamin are a dead giveaway that it is not a quality product, always look for the work methyl in front of B-12 or folate to ensure it is in a form your body can use. They also contain blue dye which is a big no in our book. If looking for hair skin and nails support, consider instead Vital proteins Collagen and Pure Encapsulations Hair Skin and Nails Ultra.
Vitamin Vaping
Vitamin B-12 has recently become available as a cartridge for vape pens with claims of increased energy and weight loss. The lungs are easily irritated and with a vape pen of any sort you are putting foreign matter in there. E cigarettes are seen to cause bronchitis and who knows what other side effects we will find out about in a few years. The form of B-12 is critical too and most vape sources are cyanocobalamin, not methylcobalamin which is the bioavailable form. If dealing with chronic fatigue yes it might be b-12 related but we don’t want to shoot in the dark or buy into these “miracle cure” products–look into Micronutrient Testing instead and ensure you are on a high quality multi with methylated B’s like Multidefense!
