New innovations are launched every week, sprouting from pioneering scientific research from all corners of the globe. Through new discoveries in preventative, palliative and curative medicine, improved diets, and economic growth around the world, we’re seeing longer lifespans and longer ‘healthspans’ (more on that later). The pace of health and wellness innovation shows no signs of slowing down, and we’re excited to see what it brings.
We think we’ve got a unique little niche here at Nourish3D - personalised nutrient stacks, 3D-printed to order based on your individual body requirements. But there’s a wide world of fascinating things happening in wellness - here’s our guide on what to look out for in the upcoming years.
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Future trends in nutrition
Worldwide food, drink and dietary trends continue to evolve at an accelerating pace. Every time you step into a supermarket or café there seems to be something new. Here are a few of the trends that we’d bet big on for the near future.
For ethical, environmental and health reasons, plant-based diets (both vegetarian and vegan) will continue their upward trajectory. Veganism in particular is booming, with retailers and restaurants providing more options made from tofu, seitan, bulgar, agave, chia, and more. Big players in the meat replacement market are making huge strides towards widespread adoption.
Ketogenic diets, and keto products, also continue to grow. This high-fat, low-carb diet has existed for a long time - first being invented as a treatment for epilepsy in children, it was adopted by fitness experts in the late 90s and has grown since. The prevalence of keto-specific supplements on the shelves of nutritional suppliers is also rising - with MCT oils and butter coffees leading the way.
Diets are constantly changing and are prone to flavour-of-the-month trends. One such example is the New Nordic Diet, which takes advantage of the healthy reputation of the Scandinavian countries. It’s essentially the Mediterranean Diet with a few tweaks, and mostly common sense - eat local, fresh, unprocessed food, mostly organic, with some meat but not too much.
Fitness as a lifestyle
The world of gyms is changing, too. Not just a warehouse full of equipment anymore, they’re transforming into aspirationally-branded social hubs. Places like Barry’s Bootcamp put emphasis on the experiences around the exercise, so you can enjoy your post-workout endorphin high while sipping on a protein smoothie and making friends while you’re there. Even co-working spaces are building ‘wellness centres’ so you can meditate and do yoga in-between client calls at the office.
Along with fitness brands like Gymshark, and deeply social groups like Crossfit, the gym is becoming more of a place to hang out and be seen. With designy studio aesthetics and promotional videos full of fit young happy people, the new world of fitness studios look like great places to take a few snaps for Instagram, along with some fitness fashion inspiration. Maybe we’ll see the gym replace the pub as our de facto meeting place (although some might be horrified at the thought!).
However, there’s a little bit of a backlash against this sort of image. Body positivity and modern sensitivities towards mental health and self-esteem mean that images of ‘ideal’ bodies don’t work for everyone. ‘Performative’ fitness is, in some circles, being replaced by more authentic and attainable ideas.
The backlash against Protein World’s “Are you beach body ready?” ads on the London tube a few years back was a precursor to this, and we’d expect a further turn away from Instagram - based lifestyle obsession (although reportedly the controversy resulted in massively increased sales for Protein World products, so some didn’t mind).
Future adventures in mind and body
One of the most noticeable trends in nutrition recently has been the rise of CBD oil, which now appears in soft drinks, coffee, flapjacks, brownies, and more. Legally available in the UK, CBD (Cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound that comes from the cannabis plant - it doesn’t get you high. But it supposedly has a lot of wellness benefits. It’s said to help with insomnia, arthritis, kidney disease, post menstrual syndrome, anxiety, and more. It’s even thought to reduce anxiety in cats and dogs. The one problem in the UK is that because it’s new, labelling regulation hasn’t quite yet caught up, and so you might pay a lot of money for a totally ineffective dose.
Speaking of cannabis, this and other not-yet-legal substances might become more available in the coming years. Many US states have now decriminalised recreational cannabis, which many use for medicinal and pain-relief purposes. As this spreads, pressure might increase on the UK government to at least relax some regulations and we could see the supplement industry get in on the action. There are also rumblings on the horizon that legalisation of Psilocybin (psychedelic mushrooms) is due, because of its application in treating depression and PTSD - can you imagine taking a morning psychedelic along with your vitamin C?
Another futuristic avenue for the supplement industry is that of life extension. For thousands of years, humans have sought the secret to living forever, and some think we’re close to finding it. Scientists like Aubrey de Grey investigate anti-aging technologies and life extension, with the aim to eventually ‘cure’ us of aging and natural death.
They suggest that extending the ‘healthspan’ of humans is the first priority - defined by Drs. Elizabeth Blackburn & Elissa Epel, authors of The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer, as “the number of years of healthy, disease-free life”.
One company even claims their supplements hack mitochondrial function for better aging.
It remains to be seen whether it works - we’ll have to wait many years to know, of course. Is it scientifically possible? Is aging just a technical problem we can solve, or is it inherent to life?
Personalised nutrition
Finally, let’s come back down to Earth and look at something a little more feasible. Personalised nutrition gets ever closer to serving dietary needs at the individual level.
A report from Leatherhead Food Research paints one exciting picture of the future:
"Sensory research is exploring differences in taste perception, raising questions such as how does an individual’s perception of taste impact their food choice, consumption habits and ultimately their health and wellbeing."
One day we may even see food customised to the specific microbial environment in your gut, too.
The world of personalised nutrition is growing, and is a fascinating space to be in right now. Whether it's through lifestyle factors, body type, or even genetics, everyone’s needs are different, which is why we offer a fully customisable system for 3D-printing vitamin, mineral and nutrient supplements based on your requirements.
If you’re interested in discovering how personalised nutrition can work for you, sign up now to customise your stack.
