Every year, a new diet or lifestyle captures the imagination of the weight- and health-obsessed populace. Sometimes, it involves the elimination of certain foods; at others, a revival of an older way of eating (like with paleo). But they’re always followed by some nutritional evangelism, and the hope that they will work. Some of them really do, and they come with supporting research. If you like to experiment with your diet and lifestyle, here are five food trends that have gained popularity over the last couple of years and how to adopt them. Try one or try ’em all, and see how they work for you.
Vegan/Plant-Based Eating
According to the Oxford Martin School, if the whole world went vegan, it could save 8 million human lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by two-thirds, lead to healthcare-related savings, and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion. Although the diet is hard to follow, the alternative protein industry raised $3.1 billion (US) in investments in 2020. This trend is here to stay.
How to apply it: Going vegan is hard, but if you’ve decided to, the way to approach it is to transition in phases. Start by going vegetarian and then gradually removing animal-derived items one by one. Another way is to reduce the overall number of non-vegetarian meals you have in a week. Long-lasting change is gradual and sustainable. So be patient with yourself, and go slow.
Reducetarian
If you don’t want to eliminate all animal-derived products from your diet, consider going reducetarian, another trend of making an active choice to reduce the meat, dairy, and poultry you consume. According to reducetarian.org, while flexitarians primarily eat plants with the occasional inclusion of meat, eggs, and dairy, reducetarians mindfully and gradually reduce their consumption of these animal products concerning their own diet.
How to apply it: Start small. Have a timetable. For instance, have Meatless Mondays, Weekday Vegetarian, or Vegan Before Six. These themes take the hard decisions out of everyday meal-planning and are a gentler, gradual way of doing vegan or staying reducetarian.
Whole30
If there’s one diet harder to follow than vegan, it’s the Whole30. But this is not meant to be a complete lifestyle change, as with other types of diets. It’s intended to be followed only for 30 days, with a 10-day reintroduction period. Cognized by Melissa Hartwig and her ex-husband Dallas Hartwig, the diet involves eliminating alcohol, sugar, grains, legumes, and dairy (among others!) for thirty days. The claim is that the diet eliminates cravings, rebalances hormones, cures digestive issues, boosts energy and immune function, and even reverses medical issues— but there is limited scientific evidence to back them up. That being said, there are many, many people who vouch for its transformative effects on their body and skin.
How to apply it: The key to following the Whole30 diet is to focus on the foods you can eat (meat, poultry and eggs) as opposed to what you can’t eat. There are many books on Whole30 with recipes as well as online forums for support.
Macrobiotic Eating
Macrobiotic eating is part of a larger philosophy of living in a balanced way physically, mentally, and spiritually. Though it’s been around since the time of Hippocrates, its current form was developed by George Ohsawa, who experienced a dramatic recovery from tuberculosis simply by eating macrobiotically. He designed it as a plant-based diet based on Japanese cooking — but plant-based food in any cuisine can be part of the macrobiotic diet. The diet eliminates chemicals or artificial ingredients from food and personal health products and focuses on nutrient-dense, seasonal foods harvested locally. Restorative exercise, adequate sleep, and a balanced lifestyle are also part of the Macrobiotic philosophy.
How to apply it: If you’re already a vegetarian or vegan, shifting to Macrobiotic eating isn’t a big leap. Simply ensure that you have more vegetables and fruits than grains, never overcook your meals and have naturally fermented foods daily. There is a long list of principles and more details on shimacrobiotics.org.
100-Mile Diet
The 100-mile diet is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s principally about not eating anything grown more than 100miles away from where you live. It’s based on a bestselling non-fiction book by Canadian couple Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, who spent an entire year eating nothing that grew outside 100 miles of their residence. And this eliminated cooking oils, rice, and sugar. A form of the farm-to-table movement, the idea of eating locally is to reduce the amount of nutritionally-depleted foods and the greenhouse gases emitted from food transport. Following this diet may or may not impact your health or waistline, but it will surely give you an appreciation for all the work that goes into producing food.
How to apply it: If you want to follow a locavore diet, start by hooking yourself up with local farms, frequent farmers’ markets and get gardening from home and kitchen. As you will be eating only seasonal produce, you’ll need to preserve food for the winters. As with all other diets, it takes a bit of mental preparation to follow, but its effect on your carbon footprint will be phenomenal.
