2017 Health & Wellness Predictions

I like to think of myself as a levelheaded wellness junkie. I don’t discover the latest trends (obviously) but I often go out of my way to try them. Well, as much as I can living in suburban Florida.

Oil pulling? Ok.
Turmeric-everything? Orange is the new black.
Cupping? Yeah, I’ve always been a Phelps fan. 

A lot of it is BS (and unnecessary) but you won’t know unless you take that first sip of kombucha. Plus, I find the process fun. I have weird hobbies. 

2016 was filled with bowls, athleisure, matcha, poke and Instagram fitness celebrities. Not to say 2017 will be much (if at all) different but I’d like to make some predictions. These aren’t entirely new trends or concepts, particularly in larger cities, yet us non-city dwellers deserve to have fun, too ;). I’d love for you to play along in the comments!

Alternative title for this list: what Emily might be using/doing in 2017.

Charcoal

That stuff you put on a grill? It might be the best way to clean your face.

Kind of.

Activated charcoal isn’t new, although its “original” purpose of treating alcohol poisoning and drug overdose is not the goal here. Charcoal itself is a detoxifier and works to absorb chemicals before they hit the bloodstream. Charcoal beauty products work similarly. A facemask, for example, absorbs the toxins (dirt and oil) in your skin. I took inventory of my health-related products yesterday and realized four of them were charcoal-based. A charcoal facemask, cleansing bar, deodorant and pills, which I take if I think I was glutened (my form of poisoning). Honestly, I think they all work really well.

When I was in California earlier this year I took a charcoal juice shot (not my favorite thing) and I know you can brush your teeth with it too. Someone try that one and tell me what it’s like. 

So don’t go putting hot coal on your skin but look out for it as a star ingredient in beauty products. 

Fitness + Fun

Here’s what I’m thinking…more racecations (a race + vacation), HIIT Happy Hours, healthyish girl’s weekends and community-oriented wellness events (like Wanderlust). Fitness is already a form of socialization, especially in major cities, but let’s amplify it next year.

Adaptogens

Adaptogens are herbs, often in the form of supplements, used to help people “adapt” to situations. While these situations are mostly stress related, the claimed benefits of these substances are wide-ranging. Like charcoal, adaptogens are not new on the market (they’ve been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years) but they are slowly becoming more mainstream. Ashwagandha is arguably the most well-known adaptogen at the moment, yet holy basil (obvi more religious than your boring pesto), rhodiola rosea and Asian ginseng are rising in popularity and usage.

Read more: Dr. Frank Lipman, Dr. Andrew Weil 

Individualized Health & Fitness 

BBG was so 2015. Now we want custom programs. One-on-one coaching for races, competitions and general fitness success.  

Side note: BBG is hard. It’s also probably not going anywhere. 

Same thing goes for health…23 and Me, personalized supplement packets and food sensitivity tests. One size does NOT fit all. 

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods went mainstream in 2015 and 2016, but they will continue to shine next year. More products, flavors and forms of eating (on the go packets of sauerkraut?).

Also….gut health, and its relation to other diseases and conditions, isn’t going anywhere.  

Coffee substitutes OR enhancers

I don’t drink coffee so I can’t speak for this point too much. However, from what I’ve seen around social media, people either want to stop drinking it or want more from it, nutritionally speaking. Bulletproof coffee (coffee + butter + MCT oil) has already stepped in to “fix” the latter issue. Has anyone tried it? Is it effective? As for coffee substitutes, I’ve seen certain (darker) flavors of tea, golden milk, matcha lattes and carob powder. 

Vegetable substitutions at restaurants

We already spiralize at home but will zoodles be at McDonald’s next year? Unlikely, but neither will I. 

In general, vegetables will play a bigger role on restaurant menus. Spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice and sweet potato toast, eggplant lasagna. Just in Florida, which is definitely not a trendsetting state, I’ve seen the rise of “comfort” food made with vegetables. Not to say every menu item is good or necessary, but I’ve seen some.  

Flashback to Denver when I had zoodles with my lunch (my mom had a cauliflower rice bowl).

Old is new again

Essential oils, acupuncture, crystals, spiritual work, herbs. What was used thousands of years ago for healing will come back into play. 

Reading ingredient labels on products

Aside from food products, we’ll become accustomed to reading labels on beauty products and cleaning supplies. Even if we don’t ingest something, it matters what we put on our bodies (and into the air!).  

I think/hope/believe that we, as consumers and residents on Earth, will become more environmentally aware. We have a big responsibility to protect our planet. 

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