The term “superfoods” seems to be present wherever you look. It can be found everywhere, from Ads, to labels found on food and even beauty products. So, what criteria must a product meet to be called a superfood? None! There is no set criteria for something to be called a superfood. The term is more a marketing tool used to sell products. The word was first used during World War I to try to sell an over abundance of bananas.
What defines a superfood?
While there is no set criteria that qualifies something to be a superfood, most items claiming to be superfoods have many nutritional elements in common. The Dictionary.com definition of a superfood is, “a food considered exceptionally good for one’s health and for boosting the immune system owing to its naturally high content of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, or omega-3 fatty acids”.
Superfoods are foods that provide a significant amount of nutrients and very few calories. The antioxidants found in most superfoods help neutralize free radicals that are formed in our bodies. Free radicals are unstable molecules that form when atoms or molecules gain or lose electrons. Free radicals can damage the growth, development and survival of cells in our bodies.
Antioxidant molecules decrease of reverse the effects of free radicals that have close links to the following health problems:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Stroke
- Respiratory diseases
- Immune deficiency
- Emphysema
- Parkinson’s disease
Superfoods are not a cure all, but adding these foods to your diet can improve your health. To keep from being overwhelmed by all the products on the market, the Mayo Clinic has given some easy steps to use when choosing the best health foods to add to your diet. They believe the best health foods possess three of these four components.
Good or excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
High in phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds, like Vitamins A and E and beta carotene
May help reduce risk of heart disease and other health conditions
Readily available.
So, what is a superfood really? A superfood is a whole food, meaning a food that is unprocessed and in its original form, which contains a lot of nutrients. Most superfoods are found in nature or grow in the dirt: fruits, vegetables, seeds, grasses, seaweed (or algaes) and leaves. Eggs, dairy, and a few kinds of fish are also considered superfoods. On your next trip to the grocery store, try adding some berries, leafy greens, oats, nuts, or salmon to your cart and experiment with some new recipes.
