Nutrition plays a huge role in optimising our health and wellbeing; whether it’s to reach a healthy weight goal, build our immunity or fight certain diseases that we’re predisposed to. There’s a reason why certain nutrition trends emerge and it’s because we’re constantly discovering ways in which the food we eat can positively impact our overall health and well-being. 

In this article, we ask dietitian from Pinnacle Nutrition, Dr Verena, to enlighten us with her predictions for the top 3 up-and-coming nutrition trends to try out for optimal living!

1. Personalised Nutrition 

If you’ve not heard of this emerging trend before, Personalised Nutrition is the concept of tailoring nutrition, diet and lifestyle advice for each individual based on their unique genetic makeup. If you’ve gotten general nutrition advice that doesn’t seem to work for you, personalised nutrition may be the answer! 

So, how exactly does it work? Getting tested to uncover your genetic signature can help you better understand your own response to specific nutrients. Your dietitian can then provide more precise and effective nutrition recommendations to perfectly balance your macronutrient and micronutrient needs.

Many direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing kits are available at an affordable price. A word of caution however – not all DTC test kits are clinically validated and they may test for disease risks that have not been approved by the Ministry of Health. In addition to this, knowing the results won’t always be helpful if there’s no trained professional to help you interpret the reports and provide advice customised to your daily lifestyle. 

Pinnacle Nutrition has scrutinized many genetic test kits and is proud to offer Genomics tests that are analyzed by a MOH-accredited laboratory in Singapore, meaning that the results you obtained are clinically validated and scientifically sound. Following the results of your test, they follow up with an in-depth consultation to help interpret your report and come up with dietary recommendations specific to your genetic signature. 

2. Plant-Based Diet 

The plant-based diet trend continues to thrive as it’s linked to a number of health benefits including lowered cholesterol levels, reduced risk of heart disease, obesity and cognitive decline, and even protection from certain cancers such as prostate and breast cancer. 

Adopting a plant-based diet also supports the sprout of the lifestyle trend for simpler and more environmentally-friendly living. The switch gravitates towards a reduction of our environmental footprint with less greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and land used for factory farming – all of which are major factors that play a role in global warming and environmental degradation.  

According to Dr Verena, plant-based diets, like any other diet, can be healthy depending on the quality and nutritional adequacy of it. Although products such as refined sugar, white flour, and certain vegetable fats can all be labeled as ‘plant-based’, it doesn’t mean they should make up the bulk of a healthy diet! 

Replacing refined carbohydrates with whole grains, avoiding sugary, sweetened drinks and confectionery and focusing on good quality plant-based proteins and fats (such as those found in nuts and seeds), are the way to go for a healthy plant-based diet.

3. Gut Microbiome

Image source: Forbes.com

The gut microbiome refers to the trillions of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, living in your intestines. They’re involved in functions that are critical for your health and wellbeing such as digesting food and absorbing nutrients that are essential for an optimally functioning body. Gut bugs are also associated with your metabolism, body weight, immune function, as well as your brain function and mood. 

Stress, illness, being overweight, overuse of antibiotics or eating a poor quality diet can cause imbalances or disruptions to the gut microbiome. Eating too much energy-dense and highly processed foods can weaken the barrier lining our gut, allowing for small particles or bits of food to escape into your bloodstream and trigger your immune system into action. This puts you at a risk for a range of diseases that can compromise both physical and mental health. 

So what can you do to keep a healthy gut? We know that greater gut microbiota diversity is associated with better health outcomes. Eating fibre-rich foods such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can increase the variety of gut bugs and keep the gut microbiota healthy, balanced and functioning optimally. 

We can also promote a healthy gut by consuming bacteria itself in the form of fermented food such as kimchi, kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut. Be mindful, however, that the benefits associated with consuming fibre-rich food or fermented food are transient and will only last for as long as you are consuming them. This means that in order to reap their health-benefiting rewards, the consumption of them needs to be maintained as often as everyday. 

Contributor:

Dr Verena Tan, founder of Pinnacle Nutrition, is an experienced, qualified dietitian with more than 15 years of diverse and well-rounded experience spanning clinical nutrition, academia, research and corporate work. She is also currently an Assistant Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology.