How to Approach Wellness Food Trends, According to Experts

The line between beauty and wellness is a thin one. Oftentimes, a trend falls on one side or the other, promising improved skin or optimal health. Sometimes the trend offers rewards for both, making it tempting to embrace it head-on. The wellness food boom is frequently regarded as a fad. However, attempting to improve your health from the inside out with a healthy diet and routine exercise is far from a craze, if done correctly. There are lots of wellness-related food trends circulating on social media, and new ones popping up almost daily. So how do you determine the good from the fad? The key is starting with the basics. Gaining an understanding of the trend, your goals and what you’re looking to achieve from trying the trend will help you filter the commotion to find what works best for your needs. Ahead, we spoke to four experts about what to know about the current wellness food trends before you buy into the hype.

Featured experts

• Amy Davis is a dietitian and nutrition consultant for Live Conscious 
• Nicole Langone is a nutrition expert the founder of Langone Wellness
• Naomi Whittel is a nutrition expert and the founder of Reserveage Nutrition
• Tanya Kormeili MD FAAD is a board-certified dermatologist in Santa Monica, CA

Where to begin

Diving into a trend, whether hair or body care, should begin with research. The first thing to do, according to Amy Davis, nutrition consultant for Live Conscious, is to consider the source. “Some trends, such as the Mediterranean diet, are built on decades of research,” she says. However, she notes that trends supported by uncredentialed creators and influencers, instead of research and evidence, are becoming increasingly popular. According to board-certified Santa Monica, CA dermatologist Tanya Kormeil, the reason the Mediterranean Diet has remained popular is because it’s truly backed by research and focuses on a healthy, balanced diet, consisting of vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean protein. 

Green juices and cleanses are another popular wellness trend that can have benefits when approached properly. “There is so much hype on detox juices and superfoods, but most are not well studied or even well defined,” says Dr. Kormeili. There is a similar sentiment around adaptogens such as ashwagandha and maca. Like green juices, they can be helpful, but knowledge is essential when it comes to adding them to your diet. When approaching these types of trends, the pros say it’s best to start with research to ensure safety and check whether they are recommended by health professionals.

Wellness food trend benefits

“Building a wellness-centered diet around natural foods, adaptogenic herbs, fresh juices, and mindful eating practices creates a foundation for optimal health,” says nutrition expert Nicole Langone. Not only will the right foods provide adequate nutrition, they also give your body essentials needed for improving overall health, including skin and hair—think vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols and fiber. Whittel explains that the right diet will also help fine-tune your metabolism, keep blood sugar and insulin levels balanced and naturally boost GLP1 hormones. Beyond these benefits, a healthy diet works to lower toxic load from pesticides and artificial ingredients.

Incorporating wellness trends into your diet

Leaning into a well-balanced diet doesn’t have to be difficult. “The most powerful wellness foods are often the most basic: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and high-quality proteins. These foods don’t need flashy marketing campaigns because their benefits speak for themselves through decades of research,” says Langone. Dr. Kormeili adds that swapping processed foods for those rich in key ingredients such as omega-3s, B vitamins, magnesium, calcium and iron is ideal for optimizing cellular health. Instead of focusing on trends, she recommends honing your energy on the nutritional value of the food and not a drastic diet. Consistency is another rule of thumb that rings true with any routine. “Curating a diet of healthy meals is more about steadiness than perfection,” says Langone. This will ensure you’re not trapping yourself in the box of the trend and are instead building healthy habits that will last.