Nutrition experts from Lakewood, Colo.-based Natural Grocers revealed their sixth annual Top 10 Nutrition Trends predictions, a composite of health, nutrition and food trends for the coming year.
Trends include using fresh produce and other foods to support your immune system, choosing foods grown in way that doesn't increase pollution, healthy snacks, sensible indulgences and the marriage of flavor and function in the kitchen.
The team of health and wellness experts, including registered dietitians and certified natural foods chefs, collaborated with the retailer's purchasing and analytics teams, according to a news release. Together, these specialists studied consumer-shopping preferences, pored over the latest research and assessed the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on communities to predict these rising and shifting trends.
“As we look back at another year in which our communities have felt the obvious and hidden effects of a global pandemic, there is no denying that people are changing how they approach their health,” Shelby Miller, scientific affairs and nutrition education manager, said in the release. “People are considering how their everyday choices affect their long-term health, and our trends for the coming year reflect how those decisions are intricately tied together to shape our wellbeing and our ability to thrive and flourish.”
Founded in 1955, Natural Grocers has 162 stores in 20 states. The company sells only USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. The company also provides free science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices.
Top 10 nutrition trends for 2022, according to Natural Grocers:
- From lifespan to healthspan: We all want a long lifespan, but what about healthspan, the years of life in which we are healthy and free of disease? While collectively we have been so focused on extending our lives, we have forgotten to prioritize making those years healthier. With a growing realization that healthspan is as important as lifespan, in 2022, we will focus not only on how long we can live, but also on how healthy we can live those years. This will look like supporting health with diet and lifestyle not in mid- to late age, or only when a health issues arises, but throughout our lives. We can maintain good health at any age by modulating inflammation in the body, supporting healthy blood sugar balance, reducing free radicals, supporting immune resilience, and maintaining liver health, a major, but often overlooked, cornerstone of health.
- Supporting immunity becomes a daily practice: This trend is making an appearance on our list two years in a row, because we're all getting on board with daily immune support, and there's no looking back. We know that getting sick is inevitable, but we've also come to understand that by nourishing our immune system every day, even when we aren't sick, it will be primed and ready to go when the inevitable happens, making symptoms less severe and the duration shorter. In 2022, we will continue to give our immune system the nutrients it needs to function optimally—on a daily basis. Immune resilience is about training the immune system to always be at its peak performance, much like we would build muscles for fitness. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen the role that co-morbidities play in the severity of disease, and research has shown that people with poor liver health, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome have poorer outcomes.
- Our pets get healthy too: Pet ownership skyrocketed during the pandemic, and just as we took an increased interest in supporting our own health and wellness over the last two years, pet owners are now applying the same high standards when shopping for their furry friends.
- Women and BIPOC-owned health and wellness businesses will continue to shine: Women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) have always been an integral part of the entrepreneurial backbone of this country, and the health and wellness space is no different. This industry is growing exponentially, and with that growth, we will see more women and BIPOC-owned businesses bring their expertise, creativity, and knowledge to the mix. In 2022, we will continue to highlight and support these businesses—which run the gamut from supplements to body care to natural foods.
- Pollution nutrition: Exposure is associated with asthma and lung dysfunction, neurological damage, heart disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Not to mention, it significantly reduces healthspan (see trend #1). We recognize air pollution as a serious health hazard, and now we are beginning to understand the importance of protecting our bodies from its negative health effects. We are also coming to realize that conventional agriculture is a major source of air pollution, and that our food choices can have an impact on improving air quality. Enter the idea of pollution nutrition. In 2022, we will make it a priority to make food choices to minimize air pollution from agricultural sources. This includes buying USDA-certified organic products as often as possible.
- Healthy snacking and the rise of “sensible indulgences”: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed snacking. Savory snacks, cookies and ice cream sales surged as we turned to snacks for comfort, but the pandemic also piqued our interest in finding snacks that feel indulgent, but are healthy. In 2022, we'll see the continued rise of what we're calling “sensible indulgences.” We all deserve our favorite foods and treats here and there, so test out and refine your 2022 snacking game with indulgences that bring you joy while also maintaining your health and wellness goals.
- We'll triumph over burnout: Treating the physical symptoms of long-haul COVID has been a point of focus for scientists and physicians recently, but in the meantime, many people are struggling with the emotional long-haul of living through a pandemic. As the pandemic and all that comes with it continues to drag on, many of us are in a state of languishing burnout. We're realizing that we can't run from the things that stress us, but we are learning that we can support our ability to handle the things that stress us and triumph over burnout! Chronic stressors take a toll on mood and emotions, leading to feelings of depletion, exhaustion, irritability, and cynicism. But in 2022, we're going to bounce back and come back stronger than ever. We'll see an increased demand for adaptogens like rhodiola and cordyceps mushrooms, and nutrients like B1 (thiamin) that help our bodies negate the harmful impact of stress. These nutrients have been shown to boost motivation, support energy and decrease fatigue while helping us flourish even when we experience stress. The stressors will always be there, but they won't have such a grip and we'll generally feel calmer, less pressure and lighter.
- A new look at metabolism: We've long been taught that after our twenties, our metabolism begins its inevitable decline, and with that comes a difficult balancing act to avoid weight gain for the rest of our lives. However, a new study published in the journal Science shows that metabolic rate doesn't decline as early as we thought. Instead our metabolism plateaus from our 20s to our 50s and doesn't decline until well into our 60s and 70s. This has caused a significant paradigm shift because it means we have so much more control over our metabolism than previously thought. But with this control comes responsibility. This is why in 2022 we'll see an increased demand for products and lifestyle habits that help maintain metabolism by preserving muscle mass and supporting mitochondrial health. Also, we will shift our physical activities toward healthspan-promoting exercises like yoga, strength training, and walking, while mood-boosting exercises like forest bathing will continue to rise in popularity.
- Virtual wellness is here to stay: The COVID-19 pandemic launched our world into virtual everything: virtual therapy, virtual meetings, virtual school. Even when the pandemic is over, virtual wellness isn't going away and we will continue to seek services that we're able to access from the comfort of our homes.
- Flavor meets function in the kitchen: We've long known that herbs and spices make our food more flavorful, and now we're learning that those herbs and spices that make our food taste so delicious also make it healthier. This is a trend on flavor that highlights the growing demand for functional ingredients, spices, and herbs that increase both the flavor and nutritional value of our favorite foods. In 2022 ingredients like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, basil, thyme, sage, and rosemary will take center stage in the kitchen, not just because they add wonderful flavor, but because they are also chock-full of health-supportive properties.