With every new year come a slew of articles about what will be hot in everything from fashion to food to home décor. The wellness world is no exception! We found a dozen lists of the trends to watch in 2019 and they had almost nothing in common. So we picked our favorites! Read on for our selection of the best wellness trends for the coming year.
Wellness Made Widely Available Not so long ago, aromatherapy, essential oils, higher-quality home spa products, organic food and supplements beyond basic vitamins and minerals were the purview of Whole Foods and other natural and specialty stores. Not anymore! Of all the changes in the wellness world, we think this may be the best one. Today, Walgreen’s, CVS, Target and Walmart stock more and more products like Dr. Teal’s and Gaia Herbs. They’re also carrying more natural based cleaners like Mrs. Meyers, Method and Seventh Generation. Beauty products like Burt’s Bees that were hard to find outside health food stores just a few years ago are available in most retailers now.
Wearable Tech Jewelry Love your FitBit or other fitness tracker’s features but not the “fashion statement” it makes? Companies like Bellabeat Leaf (founded by an art and design graduate!) and Oura Ring are coming to the rescue with beautiful pieces that measure sleep, heart rate, stress, steps, calorie burn and temperature. Look for more companies to jump on this wellness trend and offer pieces that are both functional and stylish.
Ayurveda Ayurveda has been around more than 2,000 years! This alternative medicine tradition evolved in India and involves complex herbal blends, minerals and as well as practicing yoga, good hygiene, exercise and meditation. One herb used in ayurvedic medicine is ashwaganda, an adaptogenic herb that helps the body adapt to emotions and stress. It’s even being recommended by mainstream physicians to help with stress and mild anxiety.
CBD Oil There’s a lot of confusion about one of this year’s hottest wellness trends. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD oil derived from HEMP is legal in all 50 United States. CBD oil derived from cannabis, however, is not. It’s only fully legal in the 10 states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal and recreational use. In either case, CBD oil contains only trace amounts of THC – it will not get people high or show up on a drug screening.
What is CBD oil good for? A couple of studies have shown it to be beneficial for chronic inflammation and pain. Smoking cessation, opioid addiction, anxiety and insomnia are just a few other conditions said to be helped by the wonder that is CBD oil.
Take care when purchasing products that claim to contain CBD oil. Because the industry is no new and unregulated, some unscrupulous producers use hemp seed oil and labeling it CBD oil. Although they come from the same plant, the cannabinoids that are important to CBD oil come from the flowers, not the seeds. Check labels and only buy CBD oil from a trusted source, like a compound pharmacy.
Oat Milk You may have seen the news about Brooklyn coffee shops that caused panic in their customers by running out of oat milk last year. “Oat milk? What the heck is that?” was a common response in every place but Brooklyn! Oatly, the primary producer of oat milk, simply couldn’t keep up with the demand for this dairy alternative. To meet demand, the company has upped production 1,250% and built a new factory.
Devotees of oat milk say it doesn’t have the nutty quality of almond or cashew milk. You can make your own oat milk at home if your Whole Foods is out of Oatly. Or you can wait just a couple of months for Quaker Oats’ version. Quaker plans to release original, unsweetened original and vanilla starting this month and distributed nationally by March! Besides being a non-dairy alternative to regular milk, oat milk contains small amounts of fiber and we know that’s good for you.
There are so many other trends to explore this coming year, including high-tech recovery devices for post-workout soreness and home hormone testing kits. Whichever trends you decide to embrace, have a healthy and happy year!
