Health and Wealth

While the holiday season comes with joy, family and food, it can often come with tightening belts and indigestion. It’s no coincidence that one of the biggest New Year’s resolutions is to turn a healthier leaf. And while many never keep that promise, we’re here to help you just a little bit with a reminder and a rundown of some of the biggest health trends of last year. 

By Rehaam Romaro

Raw Vegan (aka eat like a rabbit)  Perhaps almost the opposite of keto is raw veganism, which shuns meat and dairy products for fresh vegetables and fruit and healthy fats from nuts. But not just any of the above. This is all about the raw, the idea being that heating food above certain temperatures lessens nutrients. The catch? To get all the nutrients you need you’ll be eating a lot of vegetables, which many choose to juice or turn into smoothies.     Gluten Free (aka goodbye bread) You don’t have to suffer from celiac disease to get on this bandwagon. Gluten, a protein  found in many grains, has been linked to autoimmune diseases, nutrient deficiencies, gut  irritation and a host of other intolerances in many people. So what does this “diet” entail?  Well, staying away from any and all forms of gluten including bread, pasta, cakes, and  even oatmeal and other grains.  Keto (aka fat for all) Ketogenic diets have been around for a long time, but they have  recently gained  popularity. A keto diet  is composed primarily of fat, the idea  being that it will train your  body to burn fat for fuel and begin to use your own body fat as a source of energy. Don’t confuse this with the Atkins diet, though, this is not an all-you-can-eat protein fest. It’s all about coconuts, nuts, avocados, cheese, some protein and absolutely no carbs, including fruit. Paleo/Primal (aka the caveman diet) Paleo (short for Paleolithic) and primal are very similar diets that somewhat riff off of the Atkins plan. The main difference between the two is dairy, which primal allows and paleo does not. The idea is to eat as close as possible to what primal man would have eaten. Meat, healthy fats, vegetables, some fruit and nuts and possibly some dairy. Wholesome food is king here with both diets promoting organic produce, grass-fed meat and dairy products and pastured animal products. So what’s out? Sugar, grains, legumes, and basically anything out of a box.   Mythbusters Busting three diet myths and setting the record straight Saturated fat is unhealthy. This myth has been propagated for years, but several studies more recent than the one this myth was based on showed absolutely no correlation between saturated fat and heart disease. Coffee is bad for you. Actually, coffee drinkers have an over 60% lower risk of diabetes and an 80% lower risk of liver diseases; they also have higher metabolisms, improved mood and memory. Fat makes you fat. In fact, it’s the combination of a high-fat and high-carb diet that will make you fat. Diets that are high in fat and low in carbs have actually been shown to lead to much greater weight loss than diets low in fat and high in carbs, even the “heart healthy” ones.