Wellness Watch: 7 Diet & Mindfulness Trends

From robust microbiomes to sleep retreats and fairer food – health experts reveal the most exciting current developments in mental and nutritional wellness

Article by Jessica Keller

Last week, leading fitness experts shared their predictions for the year ahead. Now, we turn to specialists in nutrition and mindfulness to learn about the trends and developments they’re most excited to see. Here’s what they had to say.

HIGHLY PERSONALISED NUTRITION

“It’s a well-worn dictum that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, and that a diet or supplement that works wonders for one person may fail miserably for another. But until now, it’s largely been a matter of trial and error. That’s all changing rapidly. Whether through testing blood biomarkers, capturing data from wearable devices, or even mapping the microbes that live in our gut, we’re now in a position to provide precision nutrition advice like never before. Such a data-driven approach increasingly underpins all of my advanced nutritional strategies and marks a transition to truly tailored nutritional advice that brings quicker, more profound and lasting results.”

Glen Matten, Expert Nutritionist

MULTIFACETED MINDFULNESS

“As a mindfulness expert, my work reaches into the corporate training and coaching space, as well as the consumer space through courses, books and retreats. On the corporate side, The Conscious Professional is seeing companies show greater interest in supporting leadership through executive coaching. Our most popular trainings relate to Conscious Communication, Self-Compassion and Conscious Leadership Skills. Overall, the trend towards businesses slowly adopting the Conscious Capitalism model continues.

“In the consumer space, I see further diversification on the horizon. The interest in mindfulness across the last decade has now catalysed mainstream interest in lesser-known practices such as breath work, ice baths, wild swimming and sound baths. We will see those increasingly taking up space in the wellbeing conversation, as well as ‘new’ ones emerging. You might also watch out for a meditation and sound healing app called SAXON that I will be launching later this year for experienced meditators!”

Neil Seligman, Mindfulness Expert

HEALING RETREATS

“There is a great interest in our trauma healing retreats in enjoyable wellness environments, and I also see more people asking me to help them start meditating. We see many young spiritual seekers travelling to find a more meaningful life, guidance and new perspectives. In addition, the improvement of sleep quality, as well as the search for harmony, zest and serenity in menopause are very popular goals. We see more men travelling alone to find a holistic solution to poor sleep quality. After having tried many technologies and approaches, the trauma healing session is generally eye-opening – or eye-closing, I should say.”

Stefano Battaglia, Body Therapist & Meditation Expert

MORE FOR YOUR MICROBIOMES

“I think we’ll see a continued rise in specialist and personalised products to support not only the gut microbiome, such as pre-, pro- and post-biotics (the healing compounds made by healthy gut microbes that help heal the body, such as butyric acid), but also topical, oral, nasal and many other specific probiotics to support the other microbiomes in the body. 

“The discovery of more and more microbiomes and, critically, how they all communicate and work together, is fast emerging. From the skin to the lungs, the mouth to the kidneys, it now appears every area of the body that has a mucus membrane has its own unique microbiome. All of the microbiomes send information to each other in order to initiate appropriate immune, inflammatory and healing responses. As this science develops, so, too, will products to support these different microbial systems.”

Stephanie Moore, Expert Nutritionist

FAIRER FOOD

“I think we’ll see an increase in flexitarian diets and eating with a consciousness of the causes of climate change and how the food chain affects it, as well as concern for animal welfare. This is about getting away from extremes like raw food diets and veganism, as they often cause more havoc on our food chain and climate than eating meat. 

“We are learning that eating meat or fish once a week is not hard on the environment, and if everybody can manage to follow this concept little by little, we can get our food system back into a healthier place. I think not only being aware of what we put in our bodies is important, but also how it impacts our world. People and businesses are finally becoming more and more aware of this.”

Tytania Rose, Private Chef and Culinary Nutritionist

ACUPUNCTURE ON THE RISE

“There’s a growing awareness of the important role that Five-Element acupuncture can play in one’s mental health and spiritual awareness, and I expect that to continue.”

Gerad Kite, Master Acupuncturist

THE NORMALISATION OF WELLNESS

“Awareness around wellness is growing. Having a wellness coach or mentor session, and healing and rebalancing weekly, will soon be on par with going to the gym and exercising.”

Dorinda Rose Berry, Meditation Mentor and Energy Healer

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