Bathing suit season is fast approaching and the national conversation always seems to switch to diets like clockwork. But we aren’t much about dieting for the sake of it around here. We know that (the right) food is the fuel that keeps us going, helps us feel our best, and sets us up for a lifetime of optimal health. However, there are approaches to eating that work better for some of us than others, and we like to keep our finger on the pulse of what’s happening out there. So read on to see the four diet trends we think are worth looking into this year.
INTUITIVE FASTING
You’ve probably heard about Intermittent Fasting — an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and not eating — but you might not be familiar with Intuitive Fasting quite yet. This latest take on fasting is said to deliver all the benefits of intermittent fasting — such as the potential to lose weight, improve health, and simplify your lifestyle — but with the added benefit of being personalized to you and your body. According to Dr Will Cole, author of the book Intuitive Fasting, by adopting a more flexible approach to fasting, you can take control of your hunger and make intermittent fasting intuitive. “Intuitive Fasting will show how to finally find metabolic flexibility,” Dr Cole says, “and once you’ve reached metabolic flexibility, you can intuitively trust your body to function at optimal capacity, whether you’ve eaten six minutes ago or six hours ago.” Sounds like there’s not much to lose here. We might give this plan a go ourselves!
THE DASH DIET
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and it’s something you are going to hear more frequently if recent trends mean anything. And considering that nearly half of adults in the United States (108 million, or 45%) have hypertension, it sounds like that might be a good thing. Having hypertension increases your risk of stroke or heart disease, and the DASH diet is aimed at lowering blood pressure without medication. But because it’s a healthy diet that includes plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, it will have other positive health benefits beyond reducing your blood pressure. You can find out more about the DASH diet on the National Institutes of Health site here.
KETO
Yep, we know the ketogenic diet is not unique to 2021 but it is still going strong. Whether it’s for weight loss, physical performance, or specific health conditions, it seems that keto is here to stay. This low carb, high fat diet was originally developed to control epilepsy, but has become popular in more recent years among those looking to lose weight or reverse type 2 diabetes. And according to the NIH, there’s more than just anecdotal evidence that it works. “…Individuals who follow a low-carbohydrate diet lose more weight during the first 3-6 months compared with those who follow more balanced diets…Besides a positive effect on weight loss, studies have shown that low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets also reduce serum triglycerides dramatically.”
If you do decide to give keto a try, don’t forget to incorporate our extra delicious LonoLife Keto Beef Bone Broth and Keto Chicken Bone Broth. Both deliver 10 grams of collagen-rich protein and 5 grams of fat per serving (plus oodles of creamy taste!)
Flexitaria
If you eat mostly plant-based foods but like to indulge in animal products once in a while, then you are already following a flexitarian diet. Essentially, the name means a “flexible” “vegetarian” diet, and is really more of a lifestyle than a rigid diet. While plant-based diets have gained popularity in recent years, many people are following the flexitarian way, which gives more freedom than a vegetarian diet, but still keeps plant-based foods front and center on a daily basis. This is a great diet to incorporate our bone broth and collagen into. If you’re not big on eating meat but would still like to reap the benefits of some of the more collagen-rich parts of the animal, this is an easy way to make sure you get the best of both worlds! Simply add some unflavored collagen peptides to your smoothie, or sip on a cup of tasty Tomato Beef Bone Broth, and you’ve covered all your (nutritional) bases. And for those days you’re leaning towards the more vegetarian side of the diet, opt for our satisfying Vegetable Broth Snack.
LonoLife recommends always checking with your doctor before starting a new diet.
