Consumers want to take more care of their diet and the trends this 2023 will reflect this movement. It will follow in the wake of more vegetables and fewer animals in the daily diet, we will see more and more references to hyperproteic products and products reduced in sugar or salt on supermarket shelves, we will be more aware of local foods and we will continue looking for ways to take care of the weight and gain health.
Flexitarians
This concept arises from the union of two others: flexible and vegetarian. It consists of following a vegetarian diet, based on vegetables, eggs and dairyand, promptly, take fish and meat. «It is an option that is perfectly compatible with health and you can go on for a lifetime», assures Ana Márquez, dietitian-nutritionist at Nutrisana Educación, who recognizes that precisely in consultation the problem found in many patients and pathologies is the opposite: that there is an excess of proteins of animal origin and a deficiency of proteins of vegetable origin in your diet. For Dr. Miguel Civera, a member of the Nutrition Area of the SEEN, the flexitarian diet is a healthy diet “if the consumption of animal products is carried out fundamentally at the expense of fish, white meat, eggs and unsweetened dairy and the consumption of highly processed animal products is limited.
intermittent fasting
This eating strategy, which consists of reducing the eating hours of the day, can help to lose weight and improve other health parameters, according to some studies, but always under the supervision of a health professional. It has been in fashion for some time now and will continue to be so because research on its benefits does not stop appearing. One of the most recent, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) improved average long-term glycemic control compared to a control group. Furthermore, it induced two-fold greater reductions in fat mass and visceral fat area compared with each intervention alone. Other studies have also linked it to lower cardiovascular risk or the possibility of reversing type 2 diabetes.
plus protein
Proteins are no longer sold focused only on athletes who want to increase their muscle mass. More and more supermarket products aimed at the general public include an extra of this macronutrient in their composition. But do we really need more input? “Not generally. They should only be recommended for people who, for different reasons, cannot meet their protein requirements with their usual diet, such as the elderly with reduced intake and patients with malnutrition or at risk of developing it (people with cancer or other serious illnesses, preparation for or recovery from surgery, convalescence from a fracture, etc.)”, explains Dr. Civera. In our environment, in fact, protein consumption is quite high, above the recommendations of the Scientific Societies. “Most adults need 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of weight and to get it, extra supplementation is not needed, except in specific cases,” adds Márquez.
proximity diet
It is one that is based on seasonal products and that have been grown or produced near where they are finally sold. «A local, seasonal product has best price, best taste and nutritional propertieslike vitamins, are better preserved if they have been collected from a point close to where they are going to be consumed than in a food that has been produced on the other side of the world and has to come in chambers and transport,” says Ana Márquez.
BMI and more
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is the classic formula to measure the relationship between weight and height in meters squared. The resulting value “only tells us about the total weight but not about the quality of that weight,” warns Ana Márquez. For example, an athlete with a large muscle mass can obtain a BMI of obesity, when she is not. Therefore, it is necessary to also use other parameters to assess the patient: body folds, impedances, waist and hip contour, how much of the weight is fat and where it is located. “The BMI alone is not enough to say that a person is overweight or underweight,” concludes the dietitian-nutritionist.
Get rid of sugar…
We know that we should reduce free sugar as much as possible because, in excess, it increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Getting off the hook is possible. Dr. Civera points to some strategies to start with, such as replacing white sugar with natural or artificial sweeteners, but always in low amounts, not consuming sugary drinks or juices with added sugars, and not eating dairy products with added sugars. “The amount of natural sugars provided by fruits, legumes and cereals, among other foods, are sufficient to cover our body’s needs,” says Civera.
…and the salt
The WHO recommends consuming less than 5 grams of salt a day. Abuse of this seasoning increases the risk of pathologies. The problem is not so much in the salt we use for cooking but in the foods that we buy already prepared (ultra-processed, snacks, seasonings for cooking), where 75% of the salt consumed by humans comes from. You have to read the labels: A food is high in salt when it contains more than 1.25 grams of salt per 100 grams. To reduce your consumption, “you have to be aware that the problem is not in the little bit of salt that I use to cook but in all these foods that I buy that already have added salt,” concludes Ana Márquez.