The biggest health and wellness trends of 2019, from veganism to keto diets

From eu.usatoday.com

As 2019 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at the biggest health and wellness trends this year.
From certain diets to specialized products, the year has brought a variety of buzzy wellness trends.
Not only headlines have held the names of these wellness trends, celebrity social media posts have also promoted certain diets.

The keto diet, for example, has gotten praise from "Jersey Shore" star Vinny Guadagnino, which he credits for losing 50 pounds. And although they never directly reference keto, Khloe Kardashian and Vanessa Hudgens both credit their weight loss to a high fat, low carb diet.

We've rounded up some of the biggest headline-making trends, in no particular order:

Veganism

Though vegan diets started creeping into the mainstream in the last couple of years, 2019 saw the biggest increase in vegan hype and headlines.
From plant-based fast food options becoming available across the country, like Burger King's Impossible Whopper, to articles on how to vegan-ize your Thanksgiving, this year has brought veganism to the forefront.

And it's not only fast food – other industries are taking note too.
In September, Walt Disney World announced that it will begin offering hundreds of plant-based options for its park-goers at all of its major quick and table service restaurants. Vegan options are also coming to Disneyland in spring 2020.

Celebrities speaking up about veganism has also been prevalent this year, from Jaden Smith's ups and downs with the diet to pop newcomer Billie Eilish slamming Lady Gaga's meat dress.


Keto diet

Though the ketogenic diet has been around for a while, it was everywhere in 2019, from keto movie theatre snacks to celebrity endorsements.In the diet, carbs are ditched to make room for high-quality fats and proteins. After several days of strict adherence, the body pushes through a period of lethargy to arrive at ketosis. In this highly efficient metabolic state, you burn stored fat for fuel and those stubborn love handles finally fade away.

To enter ketosis, dieters need to be eating fewer than 50 grams of carbs a day for a few days while maintaining a diet that's high in fat.

Some celebrity endorsements include Vanessa Hudgens plugging the "perfect keto snack!!," on her Instagram April, which was a Slim Fast keto peanut butter cup.

Alicia Vikander's trainer says she got her "Tomb Raider" physique from seven months of hard training and adhering to the keto diet.

CBD oil

Cannabidiol, the popular hemp plant derivative marketed as a cure-all for just about any condition, has only been approved by federal regulators to treat some rare forms of epilepsy, but its popularity quickly grew in 2019.

In April 2019, there were 6.4 million CBD Google searches, according to research in the peer-reviewed JAMA Network Open.

CBD, a non-psychoactive that shouldn't contain the "high" producing THC chemical, has popped up on shelves across the country in oil, extract, vaporized liquid and capsule form.
The product, which as found its way into natural medicine, cosmetics and even food has caused some issues, however, due to confusion surrounding its legality.

Oat milk

Forget soy and almond milk, 2019 was all about oat milk for a go-to non-dairy alternative.
Oat milk gained popularity thanks in part to the U.S. arrival of Swedish company Oatly. The company, which was formed in the early ’90s, brought its oat drink to the states starting at Intelligentsia coffee shops last year.

Now the gluten-free and sugar-free product is available in upwards of 2,200 coffee shops and 1,000 grocery stores across the country from Seattle to Northwest Arkansas and Brooklyn, says Oatly's general manager Mike Messersmith. ​​​​​

In addition to a milk-change up for your cereal and lattes, oat milk is also coming in the form of yogurt soon.

Earlier this year, Danone North America, which sells Dannon yogurt, announced a line of oat-milk yogurt alternatives under its Silk brand.

Pegan diet

A cross between paleo and vegan diets, the Pegan diet was originally written about on functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman's blog in 2014. The doctor's buzzworthy brainchild caught on to the mainstream in 2019, however, with Pinterest reporting a 337% increase in people searching for the term as of October.

"While Pegan involves leaving out certain foods – like refined sugar and flour, conventionally raised animal products and chemical additives – it’s so much more focused on what we can eat for optimal health," Hyman explained to USA TODAY partner MakeItGrateful.com.
He continued, "Eating this way means you don’t have to count calories because when you eat the whole, nutrient-dense foods, you’re naturally satiated."

Intermittent fasting

Most people are aware of fasting for religious reasons, but 2019 brought a whole new meaning to the practice when paired with the word "intermittent."

The trendy dieting advice suggest alternating between certain periods of eating and not eating. The method has been used as a way to lose weight and for other benefits. A study from The National Institute on Aging last year suggests that intermittent fasting could be the key to longevity.

Food fasting isn't the only kind to pop up this year, either.
“Dopamine fasting” has become a mindfulness practice that has taken off at the end of the year, about a year after Youtuber Improvement Pill published a video where he perhaps coined the term while describing his routine meant to “Get Your Life Back Together,” as the video title says.
The term has a different definition for everyone, but for American Authors musician Dave Rublin it means making a concerted effort, in a set amount of time, to avoid social media and TV.

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