Google’s Year in Search 2017 is like an annual check-in with the world’s collective consciousness.
It usually provides a few unsurprising facts (like Hurricane Irma was the top search term of the year) and some bizzare glimpses at how people around the world spend their time (umm…“How to make slime” was the top “How to…” search?)
When it comes to nutrition, fitness, and overall health, the same is true. Yeah, we know everyone was talking about the ketogenic diet, but Planet Fitness is the gym most people searched for? Okay, interesting.
For five more super intriguing findings about what people in the US and globally were searching for related to health and wellness, check out our curated (and opinionated) list, below.
Google’s Year in Search 2017: 5 Surprising Health Findings
1. People searched for a lot of meat and dessert recipes.
In the US, beef stroganoff and apple crisp topped the list of recipe searches. Globally, chicken breast recipes and ground beef recipes took those spots (okay, better…). There were some veggies on both lists—zucchini, yams, and spaghetti squash, for example—but they were few and far between. We’re hoping that means people just already know how to cook their veggies or prefer to eat them raw, not that they’re not eating them.
RELATED: 7 Healthy Chicken Dinners that Actually Aren’t Boring
2. A lot of people are still looking for a quick fix…
Despite what feels like a cultural shift toward a focus on whole-person wellness strategies, “How to lose belly fat fast” still came in at number 10 globally on the most searched “How tos.” Looks like we’ve got more work to do when it comes to educating people on that fact that strategies that make that promise may work at first, but they’re not sustainable (or good for your overall health). Quick fix = fast failure.
3. …and fad diets are still going strong.
The good news first: On the list of most-searched diets, the very healthy Mediterranean Diet nabbed a spot, and so did healthy diets that work for some people, like a Plant-Based Diet. But many of the top 10 were based on fads and celebrities, like the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet, the Boiled Egg Diet (what? ew!), and the Emily Ratajkowski Diet. Trust us, eating like a famous model won’t turn you into one.
RELATED: Is the Ketogenic Diet healthy?
4. When it comes to workouts, affordable gyms are where it’s at…
Despite the boutique fitness explosion, traditional gyms—and specifically affordable ones like Planet Fitness, LA Fitness, and Anytime Fitness—are still getting the most traffic, at least online. The only group fitness studios to infiltrate the top 10 list were CorePower Yoga, Barry’s Bootcamp, and Orangetheory. Hey, either way is fine with us. As you may know, you can squat, sprint, and push-up basically anywhere.
5. …and intensity is still in.
Hope you like to drip sweat while out of breath. Nearly all of the most searched workouts (as opposed to gyms, above) were about pushing your body to its max, fast. Think Crossfit, Tabata, HIIT, and Burpees. Hey, high-intensity exercise is super effective and efficient, as long as you’re taking time to recover.