Hello and good morning!
We had some interesting internet issues happen over the week with the yard maintenance people cutting the line to the internet, so we had to wait for them to come and replace the line. Fun times!
But we are back with another question answered post.
Are superfoods legit?
I got asked this recently by a client who wanted to know if the marketing hype lived up to the claims. I thought about it, and decided to write a post dedicated to what the term superfood means and if the buzzword was legitimate or not.
From Cleveland Clinic: “Each superfood has different nutritional properties, but overall, they’re associated with:
Heart health.
A strong immune system.
Cancer prevention.
Reduced inflammation.
Lower cholesterol.”
So let’s go over what a superfood could be, what people mean when they say something along the lines of calling something a superfood, and if you should buy into the hype.
What makes a superfood?
We know the term antioxidant. These are compounds that can help protect your cells from damage and can lower the risk of major diseases. What foods are high in antioxidants?
Blueberries
Strawberries
Goji berries
Beets
Spinach
and yes, dark chocolate
Other requirements include having micronutrients - minerals and vitamins. Calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and others would categorize a food as a superfood if we’re talking about high mineral count that can aid your health in the many ways minerals do. Which foods qualify here?
Nuts and seeds
you can find magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium and others in nuts and seeds.
Seafood - oysters, mussels, and clams in particular
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Organ meats (yes these have been popularized, but not required for health)
Eggs
Minimally processed dairy products
Sardines (unfortunately meet the requirements of a superfood!)
Spirulina
Our list is steadily growing and, apparently, sardines make the cut for being a superfood.
We also have foods that ‘boost immune health,’ ‘have disease preventative nutrients,’ and ‘aid in body system functions.’ The list for this is long so I’ll note just a few:
Avocado
Cinnamon
Tart Cherries
Chia Seeds
Leafy Greens (of many varieties)
Garlic
Tea
Pumpkin
and many more…
What people mean by ‘superfood’
Usually, someone is trying to sell you something - like a supplement. I want to emphasize that people who talk about superfoods usually have something to sell you. Be prepared to be asked for your checkbook after they’ve named your pain points as one of these things:
Being concerned about your health as an older adult
Being concerned about a health condition you currently have
diabetes, cancer, heart problems, arthritis, skin conditions, and more.
Previous injuries
Being a mom
Being a busy adult who works a lot
Not working out as much as you’d want (and why they want to sell you health supplements instead)
Talking about the toxins in your current food and why you should buy their products.
Being convincing that someone or something is out to get you.
Other terms you might see that you may want to be weary of are:
fat blaster food
fat loss food
functional food
diet food
health food
organic (we can write a whole separate post on this later)
all natural
transitional
“made with” then lists natural-sounding words
Sometimes the FDA standard to list these words on a package don’t meet the requirements you think it does.
We also see people creating supplements and calling them superfoods - this is just plain bad practice. It can mislead consumers to think they will be getting benefits that they may not get because of how something is processed. It’s better to stick to whole fruits and vegetables if you want those benefits.
There are also people who trash your way of eating and then give you a rundown of mostly untrue points and then want to offer you ‘hormone balancing’ coaching, which is just them telling you to eat more nutrient dense food while claiming they know the secrets. It works because you end up simply eating better food.
Most people don’t know what they mean when they say superfood anyway.
Should we buy the hype?
Not really. Eating a diet comprised of lean protein sources, colorful fruits and vegetables, high fiber carbohydrate sources will give you plenty of nutrients to fuel your body well and give you health benefits that you see marketed.
It’s easy to get sucked in with how much marketing has ramped up recently. It’s about how they can get you, the consumer, to consume their product or service and will tell you they will help you unlock the secret to health.
In reality, the secret to health is (for most healthy general population) relatively simple. We want to limit foods that are high calorie and low nutrition and eat more of nutrient dense, less processed foods. This doesn’t mean cutting out the foods you love completely - that’s deranged.
Culture usually settles around food. We have food everywhere, and choosing food where you’re at can be complicated. So if someone is telling you to make a 180 instead of small changes because a ‘superfood’ is going to save your health, they most likely just want your money.
Thanks for reading this week! I hope to have cleared up some info for you and I cannot wait to bring more health and wellness posts throughout the year.
I was thinking of rebranding the newsletter title and any fun suggestions are welcome. I am passionate about helping you learn how to get your dream body with slow steps to progress because I know lasting changes don’t happen overnight.
Let me know what you thought of the post and we will be back again with another informative newsletter for you!