Social media and the internet, in general, is awash with a plethora of health advice, theories, tips, tricks, trends, and so forth. With a new school of thought popping up every day, it can be hard to read up on what is new today, let alone put it into practice. Here are a bunch of health trends you ought to know about in 2020.

Increased use of Plant-based Products

Consuming plant-based food at scale has been an ongoing trend for years. However, they are becoming increasingly affordable with every year that passes. More people than ever before have made a lifestyle out of the consumption of plant-based foods.

As the name suggests, a plant-based diet mainly involves the consumption of foods that come from plants. Some people look at plant-based diets as strictly vegan diets and entirely avoid animal-based products. Then you have some vegetarian people who avoid meat but consume animal-based products like milk.

For others, plant-based diets are merely a way of cutting down on meat and not avoiding it altogether. While they primarily consume fruits, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and so forth, they may also consume dairy products, fish, or meat on occasion. Here are some health benefits:

Better Management of Weight

According to research, people who mainly consume plant-based diets tend to have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI). Their chances of contracting heart disease and becoming obese are relatively slim as well.

Plant-based diets are known to fiber-rich and contain an adequate amount of complex carbohydrates and water content. This helps you feel full, thereby preventing you from reaching out for another snack and consuming unnecessary calories.

Prevention and treatment of Diabetes

Here is another essential health benefit of a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet can help prevent or treat diabetes by reducing your insulin resistance and improving your insulin sensitivity.

The Gluten-Free Diet

The gluten-free diet is here to stay in 2020. However, there are a lot of misconceptions around this diet. The gluten-free diet is not meant for weight loss. It helps you consume food in a way to heal your gut so that you have no trouble absorbing the essential nutrients from the foods you eat.

If you are following the gluten-free diet, you ought to avoid these foods: malt, Kamut, semolina, barley, rye, brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, and so on.

Also, you ought to be aware of foods that may contain gluten. Examples of such foods are bread, baked goods, pasta, cereals, snacks like candy, flavored chips, among others, sauces like soy, hoisin, and teriyaki, and alcoholic beverages.

Why go for a Gluten-Free diet?

The gluten-free diet is popular for a variety of reasons. Here are a few:

Can help you lose weight

This diet is known to eliminate junk foods from your diet. Junk foods contain unwanted calories. The gluten-free diet incorporates fruits and vegetables instead of junk foods. This means there is no place in this diet for processed foods and snacks such as pastries and cakes. Instead, this diet will require you to consume fruits, vegetables, and whole foods in general.

Reduction of Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is a sign that your body is treating and recovering from an infection. However, at times, it can cause problems, especially when it happens for extended periods. This diet can ease chronic inflammation in people who are suffering from celiac disease.

Ayurveda in the Mainstream

Ayurveda is known all over the world as an ancient system of medicine that originated in India. It focuses on the balance among your body, mind, and spirit. It has maintained its relevance over 5000 years. However, it has managed to turn heads in the western world only recently with increasing numbers of people looking for more mindful and health-conscious ways of living.

Ayurveda has a wide range of health benefits to its credit. Here are a few:

It encourages you to love yourself

This is probably the most critical health benefit you can get from Ayurveda. It primarily slots people into three different personality groups, laying out each group’s characteristics. It encourages and promotes self-love and discourages comparison with others.

Aids Detoxification

Ayurveda states that there are different kinds of toxins, one of which is ‘ama.’ This refers to the waste present in the digestive tract that builds up due to the consumption of unhealthy food. Failure to rid yourself of this can cause it to circulate through your body and causes major imbalances.

Seamless Digestion

Certain foods supposedly activate your digestive tract during certain times of the day, which reduces the chance of a toxic build-up. This helps you to stay active and have significantly higher energy levels. Easy digestion can keep you relaxed and active throughout the day.

Getting Back to Home-Cooked Food

With fast food no longer a novelty in this day and age, and the fact that people are starting to become more health-conscious, home-cooked food is once again becoming the rage. While most people have always preferred home-cooked food over anything else, it is being popularized only today.

Aside from its nutrition value and the reduced chances of picking up an infection, home-cooked food acts as a catalyst for meaning and connection. It is an excellent reason to bring family and friends together around the table.

Also, most people would maintain that home-cooked evokes positive memories, particularly from when they were younger.

Eating home-cooked food boosts your health as you can choose real ingredients and prepare food according to your nutrition preferences, as opposed to eating microwave dinners. In short, you have complete control over everything you cook and consume.

Reducing Food Wastage

The words “high-quality food” have multiple meanings. They are not restricted to merely having the right nutrients. High-quality food is often a result of using sustainable farming and growing practices to grow the food you want, while simultaneously protecting natural resources.

Given the curiosity and interest in mindful living, it is no surprise that people concern themselves with the mindful utilization of food. Here are a few useful tips to reduce food wastage:

Shopping Smart

This one sounds overly simplified, but it is often overlooked. Be sure to buy only what you need and not what you think you want. Instead of buying in bulk and inevitably wasting food, make a couple of trips to the grocery store every week.

Also, make sure you store this food correctly. Storing food incorrectly and not knowing which vegetables, for instance, belong in the refrigerator, can lead to wastage of food.

Using Leftovers

Using leftovers is another excellent way to reduce food wastage and save money. A common reason for food wastage is the fact that people often forget about the leftovers in the refrigerator until it is too late. Make sure you store this food in transparent containers to avoid forgetting about it and make a schedule that includes a time to consume the leftover food.

These are some excellent yet often overlooked trends in the world of health and fitness. With half the world lunging towards a health-conscious and a more mindful lifestyle, it can be a little unnerving if you do not know where to start. Fortunately, all these trends are easy to get started with and follow through. Visit healthtrends to get started.