What’s Trending
by Kathryn Powell
about the way we live
Rewilding
I wrongly thought our obsession with
screens was a first world problem, but
after a recent holiday to a third world
country I realised that the technology
driven movement of the last several years
had reached their shores also.
Like me there are many people longing
for permission to get back to basics, to
simplify, unplug from the digital world and
re-connect in more meaningful ways.
A new emerging health trend for 2019 is
called rewilding. What rewilding means in
simple terms is allowing the human animal
to return to its natural state, moving,
resting and eating in accordance with our
circadian rhythms, without the reliance on
apps or fitness monitors to tell us when,
what and where. It is encoded in our
DNA to know how to care for ourselves,
so there will be a move away from health
gurus and an emergence of homespun,
nature-based and community-oriented
practices such as forest bathing, outdoor
churches, natural movement throughout
the day and intuitive whole food eating.
Gut Health. There’s a war going on!
The war on microbes that has been raged
with antibiotics, chlorine, pesticides,
disinfectants and preservatives is coming
to an end. We now recognise that 99% of
the genetic material in our bodies belongs
to the bacteria in our guts and is vital for
health. Expect to see greater emphasis
on microbial ecosystems and the benefits
of pre- and probiotics, fermented foods,
vaginal births, contact with healthy soils,
and the use of stool transplants for a range
of medical conditions.
34 Complete Health
An increasing understanding of microbial
ecology will provide opportunities to
create microbial-based cosmetics,
cleansers, deodorants and other personal
care products. A growing understanding
of the ‘bathing biome’ will further lead
to microbial-based water treatments
and challenge spas to provide safe and
hygienic environments while minimising
the use of harmful disinfectants.
Just as people move into virtual,
technologically-driven worlds, they will
increasingly seek out down-to-earth
experiences inspired by indigenous
wisdom and cultures. Expect to see
a resurgence of shamanic practices
using traditional foods and plant-based
medicines such as medicinal marijuana
and ayahuasca, along with a resurgence
of ancient rituals such as sweat lodges,
chanting, drumming and ecstatic dance.
The inclusion of shaman practices
provides opportunities for spas to create
safe spaces where guests can undergo
extreme emotional catharsis and deep
personal transformation.
Meat-Free Mondays Stretch to Tuesday -
Less meat more vegan
Being in alignment with the two mega-
trends of environmental sustainability and
eating to optimise personal health, vegan,
vegetarian and plant-based foods are on
the rise.
According to Euromonitor, Australia is the
third fastest growth market for vegan
products in the world, growing at almost
10% per year for the past 3 years. This
growth is expected to continue through to
2020 and with Hungry Jack’s being one of
the most recent QSR’s to introduce a vegan
burger, it’s a sign the trend has well and
truly hit the mainstream.
The ‘plant-based’ goods industry is now
expected to be worth $4.2 billion after
growing 18 per cent in the last year. In our
busy culture, one of the biggest growth
areas is ‘ready to eat plant-based foods’.
These include things like ‘just add water’
vegan mac’n’cheeze and marinated
jackfruit massaman curry. Cruelty-free
eating is huge in Australia, which also
has the third fastest-growing vegan
population globally.
Even more natural
The trend towards natural and organic
food isn’t slowing down: in fact, its
popularity is increasing, and we expect
2020 to be the biggest year yet for this
category. Across Europe, consumers will
continue to reject products that contain
too many additives, and instead embrace
natural ingredients like premium fruit and
vegetables.
Healthy ageing
Healthy ageing products aren’t just
targeted at the over 60s: consumers of
all generations are becoming more aware
of how what they consume affects their
lifespan, health and appearance. For
example, more and more manufacturers
are looking to tap into the anti-ageing
power of the antioxidants in berries such
as strawberries and aronia.