By When it comes to wellness, each year brings a new slate of trends, as many individuals try to hack their health with the hopes of feeling their best.
In 2023, mental health mattered. Diet Coke was dealt a big blow. Ozempic became a household name. Magnesium had a moment. Fitness was for everyone. And people filled their plates with plenty of plants.
But what’s to come in 2024? Below, Forbes Health Advisory Board members share their predictions of the biggest food, fitness and wellness trends poised to reign supreme in the new year.
Plants
When it came to nutrition in 2023, plants were a priority. Data from the social media platform TikTok underscores just how popular plant-based diets are; #plantbased garnered 1 billion views in the U.S. over the last 12 months. Meanwhile, #plantbasedrecipes racked up 200 million views over the past year.
And experts expect plant-based foods will continue to be popular in 2024—but people may be getting pickier.
Jackie Newgent, a registered dietitian, chef and award-winning cookbook author, foresees we will, “see more ‘real’ plant-based items that feature wholesome vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds and other plants.” “They’ll outperform ultra-processed plant-based items,” she adds.
Carolyn O’Neil, a registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition consultant, echoes a similar sentiment. “‘Fake meats’, such as Beyond and Impossible, will lose their appeal as more people perceive them as ultra-processed,” she says.
Still, some experts note that the synthetic meat industry will continue to claim its stake in the plant-based trend.
“The food processing and synthetic biology industries continue to conjure ways to promote ‘sustainable’ plant-based meat-mimicking products, including fish-mimicking products,” notes Kara Collier, a registered dietitian nutritionist and co-founder of Nutrisense. “Where the nutrition science community remains skeptical and conflicted over some of these products, marketing efforts are seizing the moment to appeal to trends in plant-based approaches popularized by some in the media.”
