My Top 5 Trends in Weight Loss and Wellness for 2019

December 3, 2018
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

You heard it here first – my Top 5 predictions for getting fit and feeling great in 2019!

While it’s true that every moment of every day is a chance to become a better version of yourself, there’s nothing like the start of a New Year to motivate you to become the New You. As I plan my own health goals for 2019, I’ve been looking back on what worked in 2018, and researching what’s new in weight loss and trending for better health in the new year.

Looking Back: What Worked in 2018

A huge leap forward came as our culture and our diets became more “fat-friendly”:  plus-sized clothing lines were designed by more of the major fashion houses as they embraced all body types, and the high-fat keto diet became not just a household name but a choice on the restaurant menus as well. The focus on dietary fats didn’t end with keto – my Radical Metabolism made a splash in both health and weight loss, and the sexy Omega sixes became known as the metabolic rock stars they always have been. Hemp, Hemp Hooray!

I watched stubborn pounds melt off thousands of my Radical Metabolism revolutionaries and Fat Flush Quickstarters as they built better bile, became energized, and restored the health of their mitochondria and cells, all while enjoying their daily coffee and chocolate! And those who chose intermittent fasting saw an extra boost in metabolism, weight loss and overall health.

So, without further ado, let’s look at what’s new!

1. CBD and Medical Marijuana – More Than Just Smoke and Mirrors

If you’ve been paying attention to the rapid increase in states that are legalizing medical marijuana, then it surely comes as no surprise that my #1 trend for 2019 – and the hot new research topic in medicine – is what’s being called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) in the body, and how both CBD products and medical marijuana affect this system.

Before I go any further, there’s an important difference I need to make crystal clear – Hemp seed oil, a staple in my Radical Metabolism plan, contains no CBD whatsoever, and does NOT play a role in the Endocannabinoid System whatsoever. You CANNOT get high from hemp seed oil, which is extracted only from the seeds of the hemp plant.

In contrast, CBD oil, sometimes called hemp oil, is an extract of the stalks and stems, and DOES contain one of the compounds that interact with your Endocannabinoid System. Medical marijuana contains over 100 compounds that interact with your ECS!

It may sound strange to you that your body produces its own cannabinoids, but it’s true. Just like your body produces its own endorphins – which is short for “endogenous morphines” – and makes its own opiates; your body makes its own cannabinoids, from everything from common household herbs like rosemary to hops (in beer and herbal sleep remedies) and cannabis (in marijuana).

The health of your ECS relies on those essential Omega 3 fats we’ve all become familiar with (think fish oil). Your body makes endocannabinoids from Omega 3 fatty acids in the body, and they are so good for you that even the process of converting them has anti-inflammatory benefits. I predict we’ll find out down the road that those anti-inflammatory powerhouse essential Omega 6 fats that we all have grown to love play a part in this process as well, but the research is still in its infancy, so we’ll have to wait and see.

What we do know so far is powerful – research shows our ability to handle stress, our moods and mood disorders, pain and painful diseases like arthritis and fibromyalgia, and even IBS and migraines are all related to lower levels of endocannabinoids, and the ECS may be a master regulator in all of it. So keep your eye on medical marijuana and CBD oil in 2019; I believe we’re on the cusp of something big here.

2. Regenerative Therapy with Stem Cells May Stave Off Joint Replacement and So Much More

If you suffer from sore joints and arthritis, you are far from alone. It is estimated 91 million American adults may have arthritis, plus another 300,000 children. While it’s more common in older adults, one third of those affected are as young as 18 years old. Researchers are looking for innovative treatments to stave off joint replacements, and stem cells show promising results for your creaky knees.

Your body’s level of circulating stem cells starts to decline by age 25, with a rapid rate increase after age 40. This increases your level of aging and oxidative stress. As a result, inflammation increases and your overall health suffers, leading to degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis.

Doctors are harvesting stem cells from either your bone marrow, fat cells, or a donor, and growing them, then injecting them along with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) to stimulate growth of cartilage. The earlier you are in the progression of osteoarthritis, the better the results are at reducing pain and inflammation while increasing mobility and stimulating repair of cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. While they haven’t seen improvement in bone that’s been worn down, they do find even those with bone involvement are reporting much less pain and swelling.

There’s more to stem cells than their current medical applications. If you’re in my Inner Circle, then you know my favorite new products are the stem cell activators from Medix4Life. These ultra low dose supplements use nanotechnology and regulatory peptides to reestablish cellular communication and wake up your stem cells to repair any damage that exists in your body. My Inner Circle can testify to their effectiveness for everything from simple cysts to major heart issues. One even called her husband the “Energizer bunny” after his experience with the stem cell activators!

3. Ancient Rhythms and Modern Light Therapy Boost Your Brain Power and Your Moods

As the dangers of anti-anxiety benzodiazepine drugs, antidepressants, insomnia medications, and even Alzheimer’s medications become more well-known, people are searching for more natural options with fewer harmful side effects. It’s becoming glaringly obvious that lifestyle changes are the first line of defense in what will bring our brains back online and better our moods, and I believe this trend will continue into 2019 with a focus on how restoring our Circadian rhythms will restore our overall health, and more specifically, our mental health.

Your Circadian rhythm is the natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle your body needs to follow for organ regeneration and restoration, and is necessary to overcome and repair any damage that’s been done throughout the day. At least 7 hours of sleep per night is essential for: healthy metabolism, weight loss, clear thinking, memory, focus, creativity, growing new stem cells, maintaining vitamin D levels, better bone density, immune health, cleansing your lymphatic system, heart health, reducing blood pressure, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, balancing all of your hormones, and increasing blood flow to your skin to maintain its beautiful glow.

When you don’t sleep enough, you don’t detox well, and that causes problems in all of your major organs. The first step to a better night’s sleep is to unplug – avoid any blue light for at least 2 hours before bedtime. Next, make sure you get enough exercise and movement during the day. Finally, avoid stimulants after 3pm, or earlier if you’re sensitive.

If you’ve done all of this and still struggle with getting enough sleep, then that’s where this inexpensive new trend comes in – Near Infrared Sauna (NIR). Single-lamp NIR is the most cost effective way to recharge your mitochondria, detoxify your brain and cleansing organs, renew your skin’s healthy glow, reduce inflammation, relieve joint pain, and stimulate wound healing and cellular repair, without risk of dehydration or excessive heat. This low heat therapy relaxes your nervous system and restores your Circadian rhythms naturally, resulting in better health and a better night’s sleep.

4. The Grand Glands – Your Thyroid and Adrenal Health Are Essential for Energy

While glandular health doesn’t seem as exciting as boosting your brain power or losing weight while you sleep, it is every bit as important. I believe we’ll see more of the root causes of the thyroid disease epidemic come to light, in no small part because of my Radical Metabolism revolution. As the momentum builds, more people are reporting their thyroid function is normalizing, they feel more energetic, and they lose weight faster and more easily.

Good thyroid health is about more than just hormone levels on a blood test. It’s about eliminating toxins like bromide and fluoride that specifically target the thyroid, discovering the digestion connection through building better bile, and nourishing this master metabolism regulator with the nutrients it needs to thrive, like iodine and its cofactors. Glandular extracts, like UNI KEY Health uses in its new Thyro-Key formulation, are indispensable for supporting an overworked thyroid gland.

As we become more stressed and sleep deprived, and our blood sugars skyrocket, we learn more about cortisol balance and our adrenal gland. I believe 2019 is the year that adrenal fatigue gains more recognition, and we gain a better understanding of the role it plays in low energy, low moods, anxiety, memory loss, the inability to handle stress, blood sugar imbalance, catching every cold and flu that comes our way, accelerated aging, and restoring our Circadian rhythms.

5. Longevity and Living Well – 50 is the New 30

We are aging well and living longer, and biohacking the aging process is the final trend I see coming for 2019. Thanks to minding our mitochondria and microbiomes; mastering our metabolism by eating our essential fats, and focusing on food quality; and stimulating our stem cells; longevity has taken a radical turn for the better and 50 is the new 30.

Aging beautifully and understanding that healthy, glowing skin is an inside job – with essential fats playing a key role – is changing the face of growing older. Women are looking for non-toxic alternatives for skin care and cosmetics, and as beauty becomes more about strength and resilience, the trend to more natural looks and natural products will take center stage.

Menopause is milder, due in large part to removing the stigma and introducing revolutionary new approaches like those in my bestselling Before the Change book. Hormone havoc is becoming a distant memory as more women embrace the need for nourishment in their middle years and realize hormone replacement is a last resort and not a magic bullet.

“Mental pause” and age-related memory loss is soon to become a thing of the past as we understand the DNA connection and address the root causes of diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Ground-breaking nutritional supplements called nootropics are coming to the forefront in restoring memory and mental clarity, and range from the familiar N-Acetyl-Cysteine to the revolutionary new Alpha GPC.

Radical longevity and ageless aging are, to me, the best gifts of all as I look forward to my seventieth birthday in 2019!

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Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

4 Comments

  1. Susie Barker

    Thank you for the information about anti-aging. I’m going to look at the near infrared sauna and the Adrenal supplement.

    Reply
  2. BD

    This is an absolutely great article and is proof that at least in our food consumption issues and overall health of all of our people we are making very good progress after many decades, even a century of a deranged rush to convert food to garbage and eliminate any nutritional value in what we eat, particularly damaging to young children and prenatal care, and also shortening our lives by decades if we had not also only increased longevity by increasing the amount of otherwise unnecessary surgeries, treatments, and massive intake of medicines — with an insane massive rise in the cost of medical costs for the people and the governments of this country.

    Reply
  3. Jan Russeth

    I bought the New Fat Flush book and am planing on starting it on January 1. I do not have a thyroid or a gall bladder. Is there anything I should do differently? A few months ago I tried your Fat Flush Detox Diet and lost 10.3 pounds in 11 days, so I know your system works.

    Thank you

    Reply
  4. Team ALG

    Jan, Congratulations on your 10.3 lb loss! Besides taking the Fat Flush Kit, you will also benefit by adding Bile Builder and Radical Metabolizer.

    Reply

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