Dieting is tough. For 2022, the Year of the Tiger, should you try a full-on or flexible vegetarian diet, keto, or some other meal plan? The likelihood of losing weight may depend on which one you choose!

So, here are the top 10 weight loss trends that you need to try in 2022.

1. Immune-Boosting Diet

This doesn’t come as a surprise as the Covid-19 pandemic brought people on the pursuit of building a stronger immune system through proper nutrition.

The immune-boosting diet trend is based on the updated dietary guidelines by the World Health Organization. Foods that contain macronutrients, such as Vitamins A, C, and D, are among the recommendations.

Foods that contain natural forms of these nutrients, like avocados, nuts, seeds, broccoli, citrus, spinach, and mango, are also included in this weight loss trend.

Superfoods in the immune-boosting space are moreover everything high in Vitamin E and in antioxidants (such as green tea).

2. Intuitive Eating

While intuitive eating is not generally a weight loss diet nor was it intended to be, it does promote a healthy attitude toward food as well as body image.

In fact, when you eat intuitively, you let go of the idea that you need to gain weight or lose weight to look a certain way. Instead, you focus on eating foods that will work best for your overall mental and physical health.

This is why people who eat intuitively trust their bodies by eating when they’re hungry. They eat a variety of foods but make sure, at the same time, that they are getting the nutrients that they need.

Eating intuitively also means not depriving yourself of foods that could trigger serious cravings. A bite of chocolate will not make one gain weight overnight. However, it can affect your health if you eat over time. Moderation is key in this form of eating.

3. Keto Diet

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Some say the keto diet is fading in 2022, but not really. In fact, when it comes to weight loss trends in 2022, the power of the keto diet stays strong. Although it may work in contrast to an immune-boosting diet, which is important this time of the pandemic, it still incorporates healthy foods.

The reason why we say it may stand in contrast with the immune-boosting diet is that most fruits (like bananas, citrus, grapes, etc.) and vegetables (corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.) are off-limits because they contain high levels of carbohydrates.

Still, the keto diet focuses on foods that contain healthy fats, few carbohydrates, and adequate amounts of protein. As a result, it supports weight loss, may reduce health risk, improves acne, and improves heart health too!

4. The Lazy Keto Diet

Then, here comes a modification of the keto diet that is gaining popularity. It’s the lazy keto diet. It is a modification of the original keto diet but is a less restrictive variation.

This weight-loss trend that you can try in 2022 only requires you to limitour carbohydrates to about 10% or less of your daily calories. With this approach, you don’t need to track your protein and fat intake.

This dietary approach has also been linked with improved gut bacteria diversity. Now, for the foods that the lazy keto diet permits, it includes fish and seafood, meat and poultry, eggs, healthy oils, and healthy carbohydrates as part of the 10% allowance.

5. Vegan Meal

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2021 is a year that we saw an influx of vegan treats and sweets, a rise of mushrooms as a meat alternative, and the success of vegan butcher stores. It is, therefore, no surprise that vegan food trends are expected in 2022.

And why not? Companies, like Starbucks, Dunkin, and McDonald, are even introducing meat alternatives. Yep, fast food is going vegan and people are in for this change.

The vegan food trends for 2022 include potato milk, vegan pork, vegan eggs, vegan chocolate, vegan cakes and bakes, vegan seafood, and more!

Also, if you need a reminder to move, which consequently boosts fitness, you may want to invest in a fitness tracker.

6. MIND Diet

The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet may be created to prevent loss of brain function or dementia as people age, but it also encourages eating mostly whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats (like olive oil), and meat.

The popularity of the MIND diet hails mostly from the Baby Boomer population. Although the scientific community is still divided on whether it really works in reducing the risk of developing AD or other types of dementia, early studies about this type of diet are promising.

7. Milk Alternatives

Over the past few years, dairy aisles have exploded with milk options and even milk alternatives. And it seems this trend will continue in 2022.

Whether you are a vegan, lactose-intolerant, or just looking to change your milk routine, there are good milk alternatives that offer good nutrition profiles.

Some milk alternatives for weight loss you can find on the grocery store shelves include soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, hemp milk, and cashew milk. And the top trend for 2022? It’s potato milk. Yahoo! even considers potato milk as one of the hottest food trends for 2022.

8. Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet has been going strong for ten years, but it looks like you will see this weight loss trend still in 2022.

Year after year, this diet gains support from people and many keep coming back. They argue that we should eat the way our caveman ancestors did in the past, which means eating a majority of hunter-gatherer food staples.

What are these foods? It includes wild-caught animal meat (chicken, fish, etc.), nuts, and berries. The Paleo Diet moreover encourages eating some high-impact proteins, such as collagen peptides and grass-fed whey.

This form of weight loss trend is believed to be a healthier option because of the theory that rapid changes in food choices today are the cause of lifestyle diseases, including heart diseases, obesity, and diabetes.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition even suggested that Paleo dieters (21,423 participants) lower their risk of death from any lifestyle disease by 23%.

9. Intermittent Fasting

Historically done only for cultural or religious reasons, fasting has now become a popular weight-loss method because people do not necessarily have to change what they eat, but only when they eat.

Some who do intermittent fasting skip one meal per day or fast for a full 24 hours. Woah! Celebrities like Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Anniston even shared their success with this weight loss method.

The reason why it will continue to be a weight-loss trend in 2022, according to some nutritionists, is that it does not require food restriction (aside from timing) and no calorie counting too.

Some people may like this option because it makes them feel they remain in control of their food and it comes off easily. Plus, it can be adaptable to busy lifestyles or schedules.

Just a caution, though, IF can also lead to disordered eating behaviors and thinking patterns. Some who tried IF and did not exhibit any eating disorder after they stopped still find that they are too stressed or too restricted over when or what they eat.

So, micromanaging one’s food intake is not always a good thing because it works against your body’s ability to tell you when it is full or hungry. Well, hormones do that.

10. Low FODMAP

Food can be a trigger of digestive symptoms. On the good side, restricting certain foods can improve these symptoms, especially for sensitive people.

That’s where the low fermentable carbs diet – also known as low FODMAP – comes in. This is even clinically recommended for the management of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

If you’re curious what FODMAP is, it means fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols. All of these are scientific terms that classify groups of carbs that trigger digestive symptoms, like stomach pain, gas, and bloating.

For a detailed Low FODMAP diet sample, these include:

  • Fermentable Oligosaccharides (artichokes, onions, garlic, wheat, and legumes),
  • Disaccharides (yogurt and milk),
  • Monosaccharides ( plum, strawberry, pineapple, honey, figs, and most fructose-containing fruits),
  • Polyols (blackberries and lychees)

In general, it is best to stay away from diet or diet products that claim to help you lose weight quickly (like around 1 to 2 pounds per week) as losing weight takes time as the body is adjusting to the changes.

Furthermore, focus more on food combinations and limit your food choices that do not offer balanced nutrition. Knowing all these will help you on your path to improved health.

Final Thoughts

Trends in health and wellness play an important role in the types of beverage products and foods that consumers look for. Staying on top of the above weight-loss trends will help manufacturers to deliver the right ingredients to people and meet the consumers’ needs.

On your part as the consumer, gaining insights on these “next big things” in the nutrition and food and beverage industries may help shift your perception and behavior in new ways – especially around health.

Disclaimer: It is best to speak with your doctor before trying a new diet plan. The information posted above is not medical advice.

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