2018 is drawing to a close. So what will 2019 have in store for the world of health and wellness? Let’s find out.

I don’t want to sound big headed, but I think I did a pretty good job with last year’s predictions! But, time and trends move on, so it’s time to think ahead to the last year of the 2010s (what are we calling this decade? The teenies?).

The industry certainly shows no signs of slowing down, so I’m going to get out my wellness crystal ball (I kid, I don’t do crystals) with the aim of successfully taking yet another stab in the dark. Let’s do this.

Meat free ketogenic a.k.a The Veto diet

Ah, keto. You did not make it onto my list last year. But, better late than never?

If you haven’t seen at least one person preaching about the amazing, life changing, miraculous effects of this high fat, low carb diet (which sounds an awful lot like Aktins 2.0 to me), here’s the gist of it. Approximately 70% of your daily intake must come from healthy fats (there’s a LOT of avocado in this diet), 20% must be protein and only 10% must come from carbs.¹ Not just any carbs though. The right kind of carbs. 

We’re talking about no pasta, no bread. Not even a sweet potato, or some oats, which are normally considered to be healthy, slow releasing forms of carbohydrates.

The idea is that you’re no longer gaining your energy from carbohydrates, and instead are converting the astronomical levels of fats into energy using ketosis.^1,2

But, and heres the thing, it requires a lot of meat, fish and eggs. That’s a lot of animal products, and a lot of environmental pollution. So here’s the upcoming trend, the veggie keto. I’m going to call it the Veto diet.

So what can be eaten on the Veto diet? Well, as I mentioned earlier, avocados are an easy source of healthy fats. Also on the list are nuts, seeds (and their associated butters), dark greens like spinach, kale and sprouts, berries, tofu, tempeh and vegan ‘dairy’.³

Doesn’t sound too bad, to be fair! However, as someone who loves oats, sweet potatoes and carbs in general, I think I would definitely struggle and suffer from ‘keto flu’.⁴ Maybe I’ll give Veganuary a go…it will be the big starting trend of 2019 after all!

Supplement, supplement, supplement

Gone are the days when you would just pop to Boots (or Holland and Barrett if you were feeling fancy) and maybe remember to take a generic everyday supplement. In 2019, supplements are going bespoke.

Do you want beautiful skin? There’s a supplement for that.

Do you want more energy? There’s a supplement for that.

Do you want a minor miracle? There’s a supplement for that.

There are now many bespoke vitamin companies out there, claiming a variety of benefits using many natural, dubiously studied ingredients. But, again, maybe I’ll give one a try? Better keep an eye out for a future post in 2019!

No more palm oil

Wait, you haven’t seen the Iceland Christmas advert? Get over to Youtube and come back when you’re done, please.

Have you seen it now? Good. So is one advert really going to create one of the biggest wellness trends of 2019? I think it’s part of a wider trend that’s been brewing for a while now. More and more emphasis has been placed on the devastating effects that palm oil has to forests and it’s inhabitants, especially the orangutangs.

But what about the health effects of palm oil?

Well, obviously, it is a fat. It’s composed of 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% monounsaturated fatty acids and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids.⁵ Saturated fats are associated with heart disease, and it’s recommended that we should be cutting down on our intake.⁶

But, on the other hand, it’s also high in beta-carotene which the body converts into vitamin A. It also contains a decent amount of vitamin E.⁵

The bottom line though, is this. People are become more aware of their own impact on the planet, and reducing palm oil consumption, or only using sustainable, ethically sourced palm oil, is going to be one of the biggest trends that we see next year and the ones to follow.

Get lifting

According the The Chalkboard and ClassPass, the big workout trend of 2019 is going to be the ditching of cardio in favour of lifting. This isn’t surprising to me – #girlswholift has been tagged in nearly 24.5 million Instagram posts!

It’s part of a wider trend of moving away from cardio, which has a somewhat out-of-date 1980s, aerobics kind of vibe sometimes. It’s also part of the ‘strong, not skinny’ trend (which is still a worrying trend when it comes to body image).

This goes hand in hand with the rise of the high protein, high fat diets too. Cardio burns carbs, but lifting burns AND builds, as long as you replenish yourself afterwards.

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References:

1. Shilpa, J. Indian J Med Res. 2018 Sep;148(3):251-253.
2. Paoli, A. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014 Feb 19;11(2):2092-107.
3. Healthline. Vegan Keto Diet: Benefits, Foods and Sample Menu. Accessed December 2018.
4. Healthline. The Keto Flu: Symptoms and How to Get Ride of It. Accessed December 2018.
5. United States Department of Agriculture. National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy Release. Full report, oil, palm. Accessed December 2018.
6. NHS Eat Well. Fat: the facts. Accessed December 2018.