Navigating Top Nutrition Trends With Insights from Registered Dietitians

The world of nutrition is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging every year. While some dietary approaches are backed by scientific research, others are little more than passing fads. To help navigate these complex and often conflicting trends, Mystic Mag reached out to leading experts in the field of nutrition. Registered dietitians and healthcare professionals shared their insights on various popular diets.

From the benefits and risks of intermittent fasting to the impact of genetics on nutrition, this article explores expert-backed perspectives on what truly works for health and wellness. Whether you’re looking for a sustainable diet or curious about the latest scientific breakthroughs, these insights provide clarity on how to make informed dietary choices.

Fad Diet and a Sustainable Nutrition Plan

Amanda Liptak, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Owner of Nutrient Rich Life Nutrition Coaching answers the question of how individuals can distinguish between a fad diet and a sustainable diet:

“When it comes to distinguishing between a fad diet and a sustainable nutrition plan, the key lies in looking at the long-term impact and whether the approach respects your individual needs. A fad diet often promises rapid results through extreme restrictions. Here are three key red flags to watch for:

Elimination of Entire Food Groups: Be cautious of diets that cut out entire food groups like carbs, fats, or even fruit without medical necessity. These approaches may lead to nutrient deficiencies and are often unsustainable.

Overly Restrictive Rules: Diets that dictate specific eating times, ban certain foods completely, or require rigid adherence to rules can make eating feel stressful and unsocial. These plans rarely fit into real-life situations.

Promises of Quick Fixes: If a diet guarantees rapid weight loss or dramatic changes in a short period, it’s likely more focused on marketing than on your long-term health.

A sustainable nutrition approach is one that is personalized, flexible, and focuses on habits you can maintain, even as life circumstances change - not just in two weeks or ninety days when life seems “perfect.” It prioritizes nutrient-rich, whole foods while allowing for balance and enjoyment. Most of all, a healthy, sustainable approach always feels good mentally.

Ask yourself: Can I see myself eating this way a year from now? If the answer is no, it’s likely a fad. Remember that improving your health is going to take work either way so putting work into something that sticks long-term will always be a better use of time!”

Intermittent Fasting – Pros and Cons for the Average Person

Olivier Sanchez, Registered Naturopath, Nutritional Therapist and Iridologist shares with us what are the pros and cons of intermittent fasting for the average person:

“Intermittent Fasting (IF) has shifted from a niche practice to a global phenomenon, praised for its weight loss, metabolic health, and anti-aging benefits. Unlike traditional diets, IF focuses on when to eat rather than what to eat.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

We naturally fast every day between dinner and breakfast. IF extends this period strategically, cycling between eating and fasting. Common methods include:

• 16/8 Method – Eating within an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 hours.

• 5:2 Diet – Eating normally for five days and drastically reducing calorie intake for two days.

• 24-Hour Fasts – A complete fast once or twice a week.

Historically, fasting was a survival mechanism, ingrained in both human evolution and religious traditions. Today, research highlights its cellular and metabolic benefits beyond weight loss.

Science-Backed Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Cellular Repair & Autophagy

IF activates autophagy, the body's process of eliminating damaged cells and regenerating new ones. Studies suggest it can:

• Reduce the risk of chronic diseases,
• Promote longevity,
• Support cellular detoxification.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity

Fasting lowers blood sugar levels and enhances insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Metabolism & Longevity

Rather than slowing metabolism, fasting optimizes hormone levels:

• Increases Human Growth Hormone (HGH), essential for fat loss and muscle growth.
• Enhances fat-burning hormones, making weight management more sustainable.
• Extends lifespan by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

How to Start Intermittent Fasting

✔ Pick a method – The 16/8 method is beginner-friendly.
✔ Stay hydrated – Water, herbal tea, and black coffee help curb hunger.
✔ Eat nutrient-dense foods – Prioritize protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich vegetables.
✔ Listen to your body – Adjust fasting times if you feel unwell.

Who Should Avoid Fasting?

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• People with eating disorders
• Individuals with medical conditions or on medication
• Those under high stress or struggling with anxiety”

Safety and Effectiveness of Keto Diet

Matthew Nuesse, CEO of Brand NUE Weight Loss, shares how he assesses the safety of effectiveness of the keto diet:

“When assessing the safety and effectiveness of the keto diet it is important to look at the data (research, articles, etc.).  This type of dieting for weight loss has been around long enough now that some reliable long-term studies have been performed.  But, before we even do that, we need to define what a “keto” diet actually is.  Unfortunately, there still is a lot of confusion/misconceptions about what it means to do a keto diet. From Harvard University, “The keto diet aims to force your body into using a different type of fuel. Instead of relying on sugar (glucose) that comes from carbohydrates (such as grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits), the keto diet relies on ketone bodies, a type of fuel that the liver produces from stored fat.”  The most readily utilized eating pattern to accomplish this is the limited carbs, moderate protein and high-fat diet.  This is the type of diet that we will focus on.

The effectiveness of the keto diet as described above is similar (in my opinion) to driving your car but never being able to shift above 3rd gear.  That is to say that you can lose weight doing keto but it is certainly not the most efficient or effective way of burning fat.  As a matter of fact, the original keto diet was developed to treat seizures.  Weight loss was just seen as a side effect.

So, as a short-term strategy, keto dieting can be moderately effective as a weight loss method.  Many experts have cited studies, however, cautioning against doing keto long-term.  Some studies have shown that keto dieting can increase the risk of heart disease, induce senescence, or aged, cells in normal tissues, and may impair kidney function and worsen existing liver conditions.”

Rise Of Personalized Nutrition Based on DNA Testing

Caroline Gilmartin, a registered nutritional therapist and iridologist with over decade of experience, also Principal of Natural Healthcare College, explains how she feels about the rise of personalized nutrition based on DNA testing:

“Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy always looks for the root cause of disease and personalizes nutrition and lifestyle advice to the individual. Personalized nutrition based in DNA testing has its place, but it misses the importance of Epigenetics (the study of changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence). In simple terms, it’s how diet, environment, and lifestyle can turn genes on or off, without changing the genetic code itself.

Let’s look at Methylation, which is the most common form of DNA testing. Methylation is a biological process where a methyl group (CH3) is added to DNA or other molecules, influencing gene expression. It's involved in regulating important processes like detoxification, mood regulation, and immune function.

Certain nutrients play a significant role in supporting healthy methylation pathways, as they help produce the methyl groups needed for these reactions

For example, folate rich foods improve Methylation e.g. leafy greens, liver, and avocados. B12 foods e.g. meat, fish, eggs work closely with folate to help methylation.

There are many signs we are therapists pick up that a client may have issues with methylation, and we don’t in the first instance need an expensive test. Fatigue, memory, Hormone issues may be connected but this is where we introduce personalised nutrition to help overcome this and despite there being some genetic weakness in for example the MTHFR gene with the right tailored advice the outcome can be very positive.

That is not to say that genetic testing is not useful, but it can be very disempowering. So often we hear people saying it runs in the family, or I have been like this all my life or it's genetic and it implies there is nothing you can do which is not true.

We all hold the genetically loaded gun and there are exceptions but it is in the main up to us if we pull the trigger.”

Ideal Diet for Long-Term Health

Cindi Croft, Diplomate of Osteopathy & Restorative Medicine Practitioner shares her insights on the ideal diet for long-term health:

“What’s the ideal diet? There continues to be an ample supply of new diet books written every year. It’s never been more critical than now to return to how we once ate: simple, whole organic local foods and clean water. Why? The genetic shift happens very slowly. So, you have DNA to make various enzymes to degrade foods from where your ancestors are from. Mitochondria, the batteries within our cells, strip electrons from food to enter the electron transport chain to generate energy for us to feel well and do work. Micro plastics, PFC, toxins, heavy metals,

and nutrient-deficient packaged foods all disrupt mitochondrial function and are accumulating in our brains and organs contributing to America’s epidemic of cancer and chronic disease. Organic live plants and pasture-raised grass fed animals are more charged with nutrients and lower toxin exposure. So, eat roughly 50% what you're designed to eat ancestrally and 50% organic, local, whole foods.”

Underrated Nutrition Habit to Focus on in 2025

Elizabeth Daeninck, a Registered Dietitian, shares her opinion on one underrated nutrition habit she believes more people should focus on in 2025.

“One Underrated nutrition habit that would be beneficial to focus on...

With the trend of often eating on the go being so commonplace/prominent in our busy lives, we eat quickly and do not take the time to chew our food.  

Taking time to eat and be mindful to chew food has many benefits:

The act of chewing (mastication) and keeping food in our mouths helps stimulate the production of saliva, which contains enzymes (chemical compounds that help break down foods into components our body can digest and absorb).  Consequently, once food swallowed travels to the stomach, the stomach is better able to do its job because the food has been processed (by chewing) and exposed to enzymes that have started the digestive process. 

Chewing our food thoroughly allows for the enzymes to act on smaller particles of food and moistens the food by 'bathing' it in saliva. This in turn makes it easier for foods to travel down the throat, through the esophagus and into the stomach. 

An additional benefit of chewing food is that it can make us feel full sooner than when we do not take time and masticate our food well.

Being mindful and taking a break to eat and chew food thoroughly fosters an optimal environment for the digestion and absorption of nutrients from the foods consumed.  

Our bodies can do some amazing things when the environment is right and we allow it to do what it is meant to do!”

Improving Relationship With Food in the Age of Diet Culture 

Ingrid Dick, Integrative Health and Nutrition Coach, explains how people can improve their relationship with food in the age of diet culture?

“The “diet” industry in the US is worth over $90 billion annually, growing with the increasing demand for weight loss drugs, supplements, and specialty diet foods, as well as soaring popularity in alternative lifestyles that have gained almost cult-like followings.

In this age of misnomers and misinformation when it comes to the diet culture, it can be overwhelming and confusing to sort out the fact from fiction.

The more we see celebrities undergo massive transformations, the more we buy into the propaganda that quick fixes work, and that we can only achieve true health and happiness if we give any credence to the lies that we have been fed by those in the diet industry, big pharma and food manufacturing giants.

So, what can we do to mitigate the negative effects of diet culture?

First of all, stop comparing yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy – you have no idea what that person experienced, their struggles, challenges, or how they truthfully achieved their results. Nor do you know whether their outcome will be sustainable.

Understand that food is fuel, it can be medicinal and should be savored and appreciated.

Eat mindfully, only when you are hungry, rather than as a mood stabilizer, a reward or punishment.

Ditch the “diet” mentality. Reframe those thoughts about body image and focus instead on the physical benefits of eating minimally processed and whole foods.

Find a way of eating that is sustainable for you in the long term. Understand that getting “healthy” is a process that takes time, patience and consistency, and will be a lifelong commitment and journey.”

Common Myth About Superfoods

Jennifer Foege, a Nutrition Practitioner, explains what is the most common myth about “superfoods” that needs to be debunked:

“There is an enormous amount of conflicting information about what to eat, what not to eat, when to eat, when not to eat, what you absolutely must have in your diet every day, what you must absolutely not have in your diet every day, what will make you thin, what will make you overweight, what potion, pill, Superfood, or powder is the next miracle for a happy and healthy life? Everyone else seems to know.  You have probably tried several. What went wrong? Nothing, because it couldn’t have gone right. It is not possible. ALL of these do not teach you anything about food or about yourself... except possibly deepening your unwarranted sense of failure. By this time, after all the potions and foods have been tried, without the promised or sustained results, you are right back where you started. What to do?!  The answer is to learn about what food aligns with your unique constitution and needs. Learning what makes YOU feel vibrant, and thriving takes some time, and is definitely worth the effort. Quick fixes do not allow for this empowering, beautiful knowledge. Is it possible to feel vibrant without relying on excessive calorie restriction, strict menus, expensive pills, superfoods, or dramatic food limitations? Thank goodness the answer is yes! It is possible by transforming awareness, learning about yourself – body, mind, spirit. Create a lifestyle that allows you to thrive. You are the author of your own life.  Embrace the opportunity to savor all types of whole real foods to nourish your body, mind, and soul.  Real food is not the enemy. You are at the beginning of a delicious, enlightening adventure!”

Conclusion

Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all. As our experts emphasized, the key to long-term health lies in balance, personalization, and a science-based approach. While trends like intermittent fasting and keto dieting may work for some, sustainability and individual needs should always come first. Understanding how genetics, metabolism, and food quality impact health can help guide better dietary choices.

As research continues to evolve, staying informed is crucial. Rather than following every new trend, focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods and listening to your body remains the most effective approach. A healthy diet isn’t just about losing weight, it’s about longevity, energy, and overall well-being.

CREDITS:

• Amanda Liptak | NutrientRichLife | www.nutrientrichlife.org

• Olivier Sanchez | Nutrunity | www.nutrunity.com

• Matthew Nuesse | Learn Our Secret | www.learnoursecret.com

• Caroline Gilmartin | Natural Healthcare College | www.naturalhealthcarecollege.com

• Cindi Croft | DR Cindi Croft | www.drcindicroft.com

• Elizabeth Daeninck | Valentis Wellness | www.valentiswellness.com

• Ingrid Dick | Green Goddess | www.greengoddess.guru

• Jennifer Foege | The Well Woman Collective | www.jenniferfoege.com