If you think a handful of berries now and then can undo the damage caused by bad dietary choices, you’d better think again. Scientists are telling us that the term “superfood” is actually a misnomer for foods like blueberries and black rice, no more super than their “lesser” counterparts such as dried fruit and pineapple. The fact is the term “superfood” cannot be defined in scientific terms and hence it is used to create a fantasy around the purported benefits.
While it is true that a high percentage of people think that superfoods are effective anti-carcinogens, health experts are now saying that there is no hard evidence to that effect. Scientists are also telling us that the public’s sense of false hope makes them believe that pumping the body with superfoods can be more beneficial than eating a balanced diet. This of course can be dangerous because of the lop-sided and unsubstantiated health claims surrounding superfoods, which prevent people from choosing a sensible diet, one that supports their immune functioning in an all-round and intelligent way.
As research is now showing us, many of the so called superfoods such as goji berries or pomogranate can be included in a balanced diet, but bestowing upon them such extreme titles can create confusion in the minds of people, making them believe that choosing nutritionally deficient foods can be compensated for by eating these so-called superfoods.
Superfoods are legitimate health foods, just nothing “super” about them
The term superfood refers to a food derived from a plant or an animal that has a high concentration of a particular nutrient. When people read the label and find it says something along the lines of “superfood, rich in anti-oxidant” or “high in omega-3”, they could assume that there are superior health benefits to be had from it, over and above what is considered nutritious, and might go out of the way to have more of it.
Superfoods are high in their nutrient content, no doubts there, yet the hype surrounding their abilities to ward off life-threatening conditions is just advertisement, say experts.
The simple truth of the matter is that no food can claim to create miracles with the body. Can eating almonds, saturated with calories really help loose weight or will eating kale fulfill all the body’s nutrient needs? Superfoods or not, avocados are nutritionally rich and eggs are packed with goodness too. Labels such as “superfood” only serve to blow a hole in our wallets, while adding nothing notably extraordinary to the plate. After all eating healthy ought not to become an expensive proposition that only a privileged few can afford.
What will ultimately count is whether we are giving the body what it needs without overdoing the “good” stuff and undermining the rest. The trouble with modern-day Nutrition is that it threatens punitive damages on the one hand, and promises rewards on the other, all the while decisively pedaling the supposed benefits of particular foods.
On a more optimistic note, however, the choice is ours and very clear: do we want to get swept away by a wave of hype and terminology telling us what we ought to eat, or do we want to exercise those grey cells and feed the body well in the first place.
Resources:
http://www.thinkingnutrition.com.au/2012/08/superfoods-more-like-supermyth.html
http://www.thinkingnutrition.com.au\
http://nutrition.doctissimo.com/food-as-medicine/enriched-and-medicinal-foods/the-superfoods-marketing-myth.html
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/02February/Documents/BTH_Miracle_%20foods_report.pdf http://www.nhs.uk
