Every year tends to bring along with it new trends in food, diet, health and wellness. As consumers become more attuned to healthy living, there is an ever-evolving door of new trends.  Susan Bowerman, Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife Nutrition dishes on the latest nutritional news and some of the biggest nutrition trends she expects to see over the next year.

First and foremost, Bowerman predicts that in 2019, consumers will be demanding even more plant-based proteins, especially when it comes to milk alternatives. According to Mintel, a global market research firm, non-dairy “milk” sales have skyrocketed sixty-one percent over the last five years. Innova Market Insights also reports that non-dairy “milk” sales will reach $16.3 billion in 2019, and keep rising with no end in sight.

Consumers have quickly gravitated toward these alternative “milks” for many reasons, including the fact they do not contain cholesterol or saturated fats. Most alternative milks also provide other nutritional perks like a boost of antioxidants. Another plus is convenience – alternative milks last longer than dairy milk once they are opened. The longer shelf life allows for backup cartons of almond milk in the pantry, preventing late night store runs.

One interesting new alternative, oat milk, is picking up steam as well—in part because it is thick, buttery, and mildly sweet. This gives it qualities similar to real cow’s milk, and makes it a choice substitute in an Herbalife Nutrition protein shake.

Bowerman also points out that consumers who don’t want to stick strictly to vegetarian or vegan diets are becoming flexitarians instead. Flexitarianism is also sometimes more descriptively called “casual vegetarianism”. Unlike vegetarians, flexitarians do occasionally eat meat and fish, but they aim to eat less meat and get more of their protein from plant-based foods. There are, of course, varying degrees of flexitarianism depending on one’s specific health goals and guiding ethics.

She also mentions another type of alternative milk that is new on the horizon. This alternative milk is being produced by a startup biotech company in San Francisco called Perfect Day. Here’s their basic process: A 3D printer is used to create a copy of the cow genes (actual DNA sequences) that code for casein and whey proteins. Next, they insert these cow gene copies that have the code for casein and whey into microscopic yeast organisms. They then place this genetically modified yeast into a large vat containing sugar and water.

The yeast ferments the sugar, and in the process, they produce the casein and whey proteins identical to what cows produce. They then mix these proteins with sugar and water to make a totally new form of milky white “milk.”  Perfect Day’s bioengineered “milk” is said to be indistinguishable from real cow’s milk, but it will be interesting to see if consumers agree.

Another prediction Bowerman shares through her Herbalife Nutrition blog post is that she believes barley may make a comeback in 2019. Domesticated barley hasn’t changed much in the 10,000 years since it was first farmed and it hasn’t been bred like other grains to grow faster, yield more seed, yield bigger seed, and resist pesticides and herbicides, regardless of the loss of nutrition in the process. Barley is essentially the same as it always was, and it has retained an excellent nutrient profile. It is exceptionally high in vitamin B3 (niacin), B6, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. It’s also loaded with soluble fiber.

As Herbalife Nutrition’s health advisor, Bowerman also predicts that intermittent fasting will become a more popular health practice in 2019. There are several approaches to intermittent fasting, but in every case, it involves alternating between periods of eating and periods of fasting. For example, you can fast once a week for a full 24 hours and then eat normally the rest of the week. The 24-hour fast may be easier for you if you employ the eat – stop – eat method. This is where you stop eating after dinner one day and then don’t eat again until dinner time the next day. Psychologically, it’s just easier to finish the fast if you know you’re going to eat at least once during your awake hours.

There’s also the 5:2 approach. In this type of intermittent fasting, you never actually fast an entire day. Instead, you eat normally for five days in a week and then for two days you eat a much lower calorie diet, such as a mere five hundred to six hundred calories. This plan might be easier if, on light calorie days, you stick with meal replacement products like Herbalife Nutrition shakes or Herbalife Nutrition protein bars. It would be much easier to know exactly how many calories you’re eating this way and you’d know for sure you’d be getting a well-balanced meal on your restricted calorie days.

Intermittent fasting confers several health advantages because it causes several hormonal changes in your body. Every time you eat, insulin levels go up. As long as those levels remain high, you store the food you eat as fat. However, when you fast, it gives the glucose in your cells a chance to empty. This causes the insulin levels to lower and your body to start burning fat for energy. On the other hand, human growth hormone levels go up and this helps the fat burn more efficiently.

Bowerman refers to a 2014 research paper in her predictions. It was entitled, “Meal frequency and timing in health and disease,” published in the Proceedings to the California Academy of Sciences. The authors point out that it is not natural for our species to eat three meals plus snacks every day, with only a ten to twelve-hour period of fasting in between. Human physiology evolved when people were forced to go through periods of famine and when people did not eat so frequently. It wasn’t until about 10,000 years ago, when humans settled into agrarian societies that they had food constantly available.

No matter which trends one decides to follow, consumers can easily incorporate them into Herbalife Nutrition diet plans. This is because Herbalife Nutrition products are so versatile in how you prepare them. Herbalife Nutrition is known for their meal replacement protein shakes.  For example, you can prepare your Herbalife shake with pasteurized cow’s milk, raw goat’s milk, A2 milk, animal free dairy drink, flax milk, hemp milk, sesame seed milk, pecan milk, cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, or simply plain water. It helps to vary your protein shakes to keep things interesting.

Many people mix their Herbalife Nutrition shakes in the blender. Others also turn them into smoothies. There are even many Herbalife Nutrition customers who like to create their own personal recipes for their Herbalife shakes and smoothies. It’s easy to add probiotics or probiotic foods like yogurt or kefir, or oatmeal or even raw oats to an Herbalife protein shake for a unique texture and added nutrition.

It’s always your choice to follow whatever health trend you think is best for your particular situation and Herbalife Nutrition offers shakes and products that are flexible enough to accommodate just about all of them.  To learn more nutrition predictions from Herbalife Nutrition experts, click here.

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