A new year always brings with it a new wave of fad-diets, hipster health trends and fitness concepts. We’ve recruited our Swisse experts to predict which 2017 health trends are worth trying.

Vegetarianism

"Since 2012, the number of Australian adults who completely or partially eat a vegetarian diet has risen from 1.7 million people to almost 2.1 million," says Simone Austin, accredited practising dietitian and accredited sports dietitian.

“Vegetarianism is a great way to get people to eat more vegetables, but it’s more than simply removing the meat. What to swap it with is just as important!"

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Minerals

“Many people concentrate on their macro-nutrients and vitamins but tend to forget about minerals," says Sherree Banh, Swisse nutritional customer service advisor and Bachelor of Food Science and Nutrition (BSc).

"Expect a big emphasis on alternative health products that are rich in minerals like diatomaceous earth, a product that claims to improve gut health, boost your skin’s appearance and balance your blood pressure.”

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Gut health

"I’m not sure how 'new’ this is but my biggest prediction for health trends is gut health, which is linked to weight, energy, immunity and mood. But most of all will be the number of people addressing the massive rise of autoimmune diseases," says Di Mitchelmore, Bachelor of Science in Immunology and Nutritional Biochemistry (Bsc) and Swisse national training manager.

"There are many examples of this, like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto’s disease, type 1 diabetes, lupus and celiac disease. The gut and its possible link to the immune system may be involved in all of these conditions. Diets that help reduce inflammation will be big.”

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Fermented foods

“My prediction is that within the health food and supplement space, probiotics and fermented foods will continue to be an exciting trend to watch,” says Kaylee Azzopardi, accredited practising dietitian, MDiet BFS&N(Hons) BNut and Swisse research associate.

“Also, as more and more people become aware of the stories behind their food and supplements, locally sourced foods and ingredients will continue to trend.”

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This material was produced by Swisse