Natural Grocers surveyed the company's nutrition experts and pored over the latest research to identify the expected top 10 trends in nutrition and health for 2020, including responsible plant-based choices and regenerative agriculture. Shelby Miller, the author and Natural Grocers' manager of scientific affairs and nutrition education, pinpointed the most anticipated health, nutrition and food trends for the new year.

Responsible plant-based choices
Natural Grocers feels climate change is the single most important challenge facing us today. The plant-based diet is a popular habit many are adopting with hopes of reducing their carbon footprint and protecting the planet; however, not all plant-based products are as earth-friendly as we might think. The company suggests supporting organic farming methods that foster soil health and can reverse climate change by essentially sucking the carbon out of the atmosphere and depositing it into the ground.

Regenerative agriculture to fight climate change
There is nothing more important than our food choices when it comes to our own health and to the health of the planet. Climate change is a daunting challenge that is facing all of us and we can all make a difference by choosing food grown using regenerative agriculture. Organic produce not only supports our overall health and wellbeing but has the potential, when done right, to help reverse climate change.   

Regenerative agriculture is defined as farming and grazing practices that, among other things, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded nutrients, resulting in soil that can sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and improve the water cycle.

"At Natural Grocers, we strongly believe that our food choices can affect real change and one of the most measurable ways to support the health of the planet is to support farmers and ranchers practicing regenerative land management," the company said in a statement.

The other trends noted were addressing the single-use plastic problem; foundational supplements; salt and butter as healthy; nutrients to shield brains from stress; health coaching; methylation adaptogens; mental wellbeing prioritized; and supporting your gastrointestinal tract