Trend #1. Fighting inflammation

Dr Nicholas Perricone was one of the first people to identify inflammation as one of the causes of disease in our bodies, not to mention skin ageing, so-called 'inflammaging'. Research bears out his findings, and inflammation is linked to everything from life-threatening illnesses such as cardio-vascular disease and diabetes to bloating and acne (see our previous story).

Inflammation-fighting foods have been popular for some time, thanks to Perricone’s salmon-, blueberry- and nut-packed anti-Inflammatory diet, but there's a surge in the use of turmeric, ginger and cayenne chilli, with recipes and health snacks seeing an upswing.

It appears that Banting may also be going global. Bring on the cauli rice and zucchini fettuccini...
 
Related: You Need to Know How Diet Can Actually Help Clear Your Acne
 

Trend #2. Journaling...your way

Research has proven what we've know instinctively about keeping a diary - it helps relieve stress. And if you're not into getting all confessional with Dear Diary, you could always try keeping a gratitude diary - where you list the things you are grateful for and areas you need to work on. It could just be a daily sentence.
 
The latest trend... bullet journaling. For people with jampacked days, it helps you organise your mind and your life so you don't miss important dates with your bestie, schedule some 'me' time, and meet that deadline. Read more here.

Caveat: In our competitive, driven world, enormous pressure is placed on us (very often by ourselves) to be perfect, and scheduling every day and relentlessly driving goals is another form of perfectionism. While these tools help us manage our time and our lives enormously, being ruled by the schedule can be detrimental. Like the little girl in The Little Prince movie, sometimes you need to just look at the stars and dream.

Trend #3. Eat fat!

We've been schooled for some time on the benefits of eating 'good' fats. And that's been a licence to load up on the avo for our breakfast smoothies, lunch and dinner, thank you very much. It's not the calorie count but the type of fat that is relevant here. And a new Harvard study has found that loading your diet with unsaturated fats (both poly and mono-unsaturated fats) could actually make you live longer - by up to 19%.
 
In case you need reminding, unsaturated fats include those found in avocado oil, canola/grapeseed oil, olive oil, omega 3 (that salmon again!), nuts, seeds, eggs, soy and fish.
 
The bad fats include trans-fats - such as margarine and the fats in fried and junk food. Also eating too much saturated fat, although butter has been fingered in some research as the best fat to cook with as it doesn’t turn into a trans-fat when heated because it’s already saturated.

Trend #4. Recovery rules

From the 80s, we've been encouraged to 'Feel the burn' when exercising, with hard, high-intensity workouts. And these are still very popular - in fact, quite obsessive, and many people have been overtraining and suffering injuries as a result.
 
Now a new movement encourages slowing down, adopting good habits and focusing on recovery after the gruelling workout. This includes really focusing on stretching and soothing those muscles. A key tool for this is foam rollers, which massage out kinks and trigger points, helping with myo-fascial release, and have the added benefit of helping to 'create and maintain long, smooth muscles', according to experts in this technique.
 
Related: These Beauty and Makeup Trends Are Going to Be Big In 2017
 

Trend #5. Eat your greens

Joining kale and spinach in the food hero stakes are greens like broccoli and dandelion leaves (yes, you can eat them!). They're a great source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and they taste pretty good too. You should also consider adding leaves of cauliflower, radish, mustard greens, celery to your repertoire.
Steam them lightly - overcooked leaves are just as bad as overcooked broccoli, so they are still slightly crunchy. Use them in salads or as a part of any meal. They're also great in soups, pan-roasted for a crispy leaf and buttery stalk. Utterly delicious and so nutritious.

Trend #6. Sober socialising

As people embrace healthy living with regular exercise, nixing the sugar and making best friends with their Nutribullet, it was only a matter of time before they gave up the booze while partying. We're not talking ditching the binge drinking. People are socialising totally sober - and, yes, you can flirt with that cute guy without a buzz on.
 
In the US, pop-up alcohol-free DJ events, where people dance, meditate and do energy healing while quaffing alcohol-free herbal tonics and mocktails, are all the rage.
 

Trend #7. Protein from plants

When making our smoothies, whey protein may soon be overtaken by pea and hemp protein as people are increasingly looking for vegetarian options (try Health Connection's hemp seed powder). As the rise in vegetarianism and veganism grows, and more and more people are embracing Meatless Mondays for ethical reasons, sustainability and, of course, health. As an aside, for those who are considering meat free options but just can't quite give up animal products, try the latest trend of going vegan before 6pm every day.
 
For the rest of us, tap into pea and hemp protein powders, protein bars and snacks which are now freely available in health food stores, and going mainstream. Overseas, the trend is so big that the meat fridge at the supermarket is becoming the protein fridge, where you can choose from either your meat or veggie protein in one go.

Trend #8. No-make-up moment

Since Alicia Keys decided to face the world barefaced, the #nomakeup movement has really taken off, and we've had schlebs like Kim K, Gwynnie and Cameron Diaz all bravely posting their make-up free selfies and announcing their membership proudly. According to Well+Good, the Instagram hashtag #nomakeup shows over 12 million fresh-faced results.
 
It's encouraging to see that body positivity and authenticity are overruling perfectionism. Women are claiming their own beauty and defining it on their own terms.
 
As a subcategory of this, the movement towards less make-up allows every woman to embrace her most beautiful attributes and define her unique features. And authentic beauty is here to stay... we hope.
 
Related: Forget Contouring. Non-Touring Is the Hottest Trend You Need to Try
 

Trend #9. 'Clean' beauty

As people become more conscious about what they put into their mouths, they are also questioning the ingredients they put on their skin. They are becoming virtual chemists, reading their beauty product ingredient listing as avidly as their food labels, and demanding that cosmetics houses remove ingredients that are harmful or considered harmful.
 
We are seeing the rise of more affordable products that are free of ingredients such as parabens, SLS, phenoxyalcohol and pthalates, etc., and natural and organic brands are exploding. One of our faves is Dr Organics range of skin and beauty treatment products.

Trend #10. A not so great trend...Orthorexia

This condition includes symptoms of obsessive behaviour in pursuit of a healthy diet. And as the Clean Eating movement grows, so too is the evidence that an increasing number of people are seeking help for this eating disorder.
 
It causes anxiety, ill health both mentally (anxiety and depression) and physically - as sufferers often cut entire food groups out of their diets. And many are taking advice from unqualified bloggers who set themselves up as experts because 'it works for me'. Some, er, food for thought - watch the BBC documentary 'Clean Eating's Dirty Secrets'.
 
If you're concerned, do a self-test here.

 

We applaud everyone who looks to live a healthy lifestyle, but - as with everything in life - it needs to be balanced.
 
Sometimes you just have to have that cupcake or glass of champagne, or have a bed day.  Cheers!