Seven experts on the health trends that will be massive in 2017.

A new year always brings with it a new wave of fad-diets, hipster health trends and new fitness concepts.

To help you wade through 2017’s health offerings to find the ones actually worth trying are the Swisse experts. They’ve predicted which trends will be the most valuable to your health.

1. 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, 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 strongly trend.”

Image: iStock

2. Vegetarianism.

"Vegetarianism! A great way to get people to eat more vegetables, just need the education about how to still have a balanced diet. It’s more than simply removing the meat; what to swap it with is just as important," says Simone Austin, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian.

"Since 2012, Australian adults who completely or partially eat vegetarian diet have risen from 1.7 million people to almost 2.1 million this year, the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research revealed."(post continues after gallery)

 3. The gut.

"I’m not sure how 'new’ this is but my biggest prediction for health trends is all things GUT. 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) Swisse National Training Manager.

"There are many examples of this, such as Rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Hashimotos, Type 1 Diabetes, Lupus and Celiac’s disease. The root cause of all of these is the gut and its link to the immune system. Thus diets that support anti-inflammation of the gut will be big – a version of Ketogenic diet that is low carb but keep vegies high, low grain and gluten, fermented foods, etc. Best new products that support this are Milk Thistle and Globe Artichoke and a pinch of vitamin C with manuka for immunity too!"

Image: iStock

4. Minerals.

“My prediction for the biggest health trend in 2017 is a big emphasis on minerals. Many people concentrate on their macro nutrients and vitamins but tend to forget about minerals," says Sherree Banh, Swisse Nutritional Customer Service Advisor, Bachelor of Food Science and Nutrition (BSc).

"I believe there will be a big trend in alternative health products that are rich in minerals such as Diatomaceous Earth, a product that claims to improve gut health, boost your skin’s appearance and balance our blood pressure. Fermented drinks such as kombucha herbal broths and soups will become more prominent; think Kombucha shops or soup shops running like the juice shops we see now.”

5. Fruits of nature.

"Pomegranate for cardiovascular heath. Bowel flora health: weed (berberines- golden seal), seed (probiotics) and feed (fructo-oligosacharides - FOS). Ferments will continue to… well… ferment," says Toby Hone, Swisse Training and Communications Manager, Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy (BHSc Nat). (post continues after video)

6. Probiotics.

"The main trend I think will be more Probiotics – supplements and fermented foods, Kefir etc, for gut and immune health; but perhaps extending to other health benefits (ie. skin)," says Dr David Cannata, Bachelor & Honours in Biomedical Science (BBiomed (Hons) PhD), Swisse Product Training Manager.

"Also natural skincare and infra-red skin protection will be more of a priority for Australians. Another I believe will be tailored health care options to individuals; products more specific for an individual and the emergence of selecting ingredients to combine rather than standard formulas (i.e. single herbals range). And a focus on men’s reproductive health and fertility."

7. Healthy skincare.

"I think a trend for skin care next year will be all about topical probiotics for the skin. Just like the gut it is now being recognised, how important a balanced skin microbiome is," says Selina Mithen, Swisse Skincare Specialist and Product Development Naturopath specialising in Integrative Dermatology.

"My prediction is also the creation of new and fun formats for skin care products that will change as they are being used such as oil to milk, powders to gels, heating and cooling activated products etc.

"The other major trend coming will be more awareness around infra-red exposure causing premature skin ageing (luckily we have some products to protect from infra-red)!"

Image: iStock. This story by Brittany Pinto for Swisse was re-published with full permission.