Vitamin G

The 7 Biggest Diet Trends Coming in 2015

As we count down to 2015 (fun fact! Once the ball drops on 1/1/2015, we will be equidistant from both 2000 and 2030—how nuts is that?!), health experts are also assessing the state of the nation's...diet. This year's "What's Trending in Nutrition" Survey from Pollock Communications and Today's Dietitian surveyed more than 500 dietitians to see what they think will be the biggest trends in the coming year—and here are a few of them. 1: Seeds and nuts: 54 percent of the surveyed dietitians said that these will be the go-to superfoods in 2015 (even though they acknowledged that kale, Greek yogurt, avocado, and coconut products—like coconut oil—will continue to see an upswing). 2: Anything but beef: The nutrition experts suggested that fish and seafood, eggs, legumes and nuts, poultry, and dairy are the healthiest, most high-quality proteins (followed by soy). The nutrition pros think red meat is less healthy—most likely due to the saturated fat, cholesterol, and high environmental demands required to produce beef. 3: Going gluten-free: The vast majority of dietitians think gluten- or wheat-free diets will continue to be a thing in 2015. "Regardless of the lack of evidence to support eating a wheat- or gluten-free diet

As we count down to 2015 (fun fact! Once the ball drops on 1/1/2015, we will be equidistant from both 2000 and 2030—how nuts is that?!), health experts are also assessing the state of the nation's...diet.

This year's "What's Trending in Nutrition" Survey from Pollock Communications and Today's Dietitian surveyed more than 500 dietitians to see what they think will be the biggest trends in the coming year—and here are a few of them.

1: Seeds and nuts: 54 percent of the surveyed dietitians said that these will be the go-to superfoods in 2015 (even though they acknowledged that kale, Greek yogurt, avocado, and coconut products—like coconut oil—will continue to see an upswing).

2: Anything but beef: The nutrition experts suggested that fish and seafood, eggs, legumes and nuts, poultry, and dairy are the healthiest, most high-quality proteins (followed by soy). The nutrition pros think red meat is less healthy—most likely due to the saturated fat, cholesterol, and high environmental demands required to produce beef.

3: Going gluten-free: The vast majority of dietitians think gluten- or wheat-free diets will continue to be a thing in 2015. "Regardless of the lack of evidence to support eating a wheat- or gluten-free diet for weight loss, consumers believe that eliminating foods with certain ingredients will help them lose weight or be healthier," says Jenna A. Bell, Ph.D., R.D., senior vice president and director of food and wellness at Pollock Communications. The survey actually showed that 70 percent of dietitians believe consumers will be more interested in nutrition and weight loss in 2015 than in 2014 (dietitians said that people will still be turning to "clean eating" and the Paleo diet to do that).

4: Low-fat diets will likely take a nosedive: The overwhelming majority of dietitians predict that selecting foods that are primarily low-fat will fall by the wayside, while low-carb diets will continue surging in popularity.

5: Good fat vs. bad fat: Eighty-four of surveyed nutrition experts agree that we should replace saturated fats with good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids). Why? "We found that dietitians are making recommendations that align with current guidelines for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association," explains Bell.

6: Turning to blogs: There are tons of blogs out there that dish about healthy eating—and 42 percent of nutrition experts say that that's where many of us are getting our health info. But many of those experts also say that not all of the blogs are giving out the right info, and there may be even more misinformation out there as the new year progresses. In fact, the majority of the experts surveyed say that there the wrong info found on nonprofessional websites may be more likely to lead to confusion. The upshot: When in doubt, ask a registered dietitian, who can provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate nutrition information.

__7: Reading labels more carefully.__The experts say that people are already starting to really check out labels, and we'll do that more in 2015—specifically, looking for GMO-free designations. In fact, the dietitians predict that we'll be looking more for organic, clean-eating, and gluten-free labels than ever before.

So! What do you think?