Genetic testing, gut health and anti-ageing top 2020 diet trends
Diets have moved away from strict eating regimes, with anti-ageing and gut health leading the healthy eating agenda in the New Year. These are the key diet trends experts recommend.
NSW
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Forget carefully crafted eating plans like the CSIRO and Atkins diets — in 2020 as much emphasis will be on when you eat as what you eat.
Genetic testing, gut health diets and eating mindfully are trending among health fanatics wanting to work their way to a six pack.
Dietitian Genevieve Michael said the 5:2 diet is set to cement its popularity. It requires people to eat 800 calories on two days of the week, but whatever they like on the other five days. And it works.
“It’s very liveable. The two days are very difficult but … that’s probably doable long term and that’s what separates it from the rest,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
Ms Michael said she deters her clients from following any regime that is too restrictive.
“The vegan diet long term is very difficult to follow. People (can) end up anaemic because they end up not eating properly.”
Nutritionist Veronika Larisova said a 2020 theme is the anti-inflammatory diet and a focus on fixing gut health.
“There is a general shift towards anti-ageing and gut health,” she said.
Ms Larisova added that there will also be a growth in genetic-based diets and a decline in veganism in favour of a more flexible approach.
“I think this year there was a big vegan hype but next year I think people will be more flexitarian or plant based diets with little amounts of good quality animal protein,” she said.
“I think the big thing will be diets that are specific to your genetics. People will get metabolic testing and genetic testing as a normal part of a nutrition consultation.”
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Social demographer Mark McCrindle said dieters today want something that is easy to understand and “not too technical.”
“The broader trends we are seeing in dieting is that it has moved away from Atkins, CSIRO or other diets that require technical support from manuals,” he said.
He said that the 16:8 diet, vegetarianism and intuitive eating will lead the weight loss agenda in the New Year.
The 16:8 diet involves eating for eight hours and fasting for 16 while intuitive eating is about being more mindful about eating only when hungry and not mindlessly snacking.
“2020 is the year of increasing no meat diets and a rise of the vegetarian diet. A lot more nutrition professionals rather than just activists are promoting it,” he said.
“Intuitive eating is also simple to do and has a lot of social media and other endorsements.”
