When it comes to wellness, every year brings new trends, as many people try to hack their health in hopes of feeling better.
In 2023, mental health mattered. Diet Coke received a big shot. Ozempic has become a household name. Magnesium had a moment. Fitness was for everyone. And people filled their plates with lots of plants.
But what does it have in store for us in 2024? Below, Forbes Health Advisory Board members share their predictions on the biggest trends in food, fitness, and wellness poised to reign supreme in the new year.
Plants
In terms of nutrition in 2023, plants were a priority. Data from social media platform TikTok highlights how popular plant-based diets are; #plantbased has garnered 1 billion views in the US over the past 12 months. Meanwhile, #plantbasedrecipes has racked up 200 million views over the past year.
And experts expect plant-based foods to continue to be popular in 2024, but people may become pickier.
Jackie Newgent, a registered dietitian, chef, and award-winning cookbook author, predicts that we’ll “see more ‘real’ plant-based products containing healthy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and other plants.” “They will outperform ultra-processed plant-based products,” she adds.
Carolyn O’Neil, a registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition consultant, echoes a similar sentiment. “‘Fake meats,’ like Beyond and Impossible, will lose their appeal as more people perceive them as ultra-processed,” she says.
Some experts note, however, that the synthetic meat industry will continue to claim its share in the plant-based trend.
“The food processing and synthetic biology industries continue to imagine ways to promote ‘sustainable’ plant-based products imitating meat, including products imitating fish,” notes Kara Collier, dietitian nutritionist and co-founder of Nutrisense. “While the nutritional science community remains skeptical and conflicted about some of these products, marketing efforts are taking the opportunity to appeal to trends in plant-based approaches popularized by some in the media. »
