Superfoods – a word we now hear all the time. Used in marketing, in the press, but do we actually know what the superfoods are and why? I thought today, will the lead up to Christmas, a time of coughs and colds I would do a little overview on this topic. It may be that you eat them regularly, or not at all. Due to the nutrient content contained in the foods, boosting the amount of superfoods you eat over the next couple of weeks might help you fight off that tickle in the throat. Also, if you can, sleep. Sleep is such a healer, so a combination of rest and good food should help you go to every party that is in the diary without coughing into your drink in the corner. As always though, be cautious and don’t go crazy with the amounts that you eat. Even though natural and good for you in the right quantity, anything you eat too much of can be bad for you. And also, for those of you on medications, be cautious and check with your health care professional if they know about any contra-indications with food. For example, I don’t eat grapefruit, pomegranate, or blood oranges because they interact with cancer and chemotherapy. So even though pomegranate is chocablock full of excellent nutrients and is a superfood, I avoid it.
A superfood is a food that contains a very high number of nutrients compared to other foods. Often anti-oxidants and essential vitamins that help reduce inflammation in the body that is caused by stress, free radicals bouncing about causing damage and ill health. Anti-oxidants help protect us against this damage and to reduce or even revert damage already done.
The NHS writes about superfoods on their website (http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/superfoods/pages/superfoods.aspx) examining the evidence and this is the list of foods they have:
Blueberries, Garlic, Pomegranate, Broccoli, Wheatgrass, Oily Fish, Dark Chocolate, Green Tea and Beetroot. These foods are all relatively easy to find in supermarkets. As always, do try and buy organic to really boost the nutrient value and reduce the number of pesticides etc that will counter the effect of the good in the foods.
Whilst some of the research mentioned on the NHS website is inconclusive I am not going to go into the research debate about potential bias depending on who funded the study, for what purpose and what big pharma/the government might have to do with the research. You are also often able to find research to back up the argument you are presenting. As a Naturopath who has nutritional therapy training which is different to a dietician’s, I fully agree with Hippocrates (the grandfather of Naturopathy) when he said let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.
Another website with more extensive information on superfoods and a larger variety of them including nuts and seeds and herbs is this one http://foodmatters.tv/superfoods
Try and be creative if you want to introduce them into your diet- they don’t all have to be through juicing or adding them to a glass of juice which is the most obvious route to have wheatgrass for example. You can buy powders and add them to food such as rice or porridge! (I get my powders and seeds to put in my morning smoothie- Chlorella, Spirulina and Maca powders as well as Chia seed and raw Cocoa nibs from this company http://naturya.com). I often add Dulce which is a seaweed to rice dishes and fruits can be added to rice as well, such as pomegranate and avocado. Also making spice and herb rich food such as curry especially if you use coconut in it is an excellent way to boost your superfood use. For example, turmeric which is used in curry a lot has had press coverage recently because of an active ingredient called Curcumin which has been shown to be both anti-cancer and protects brain health.
Another way to increase superfoods into the diet is through supplementation. I am not trained in supplements (yet) so be careful about the brand. Try and avoid supermarket/shop own brand, and the more they cost, generally speaking the better they will be. Try an independent health food shop or a Neal’s Yard, Whole Foods or Planet Organic for advice. Also, eating the whole food can be better rather than taking isolated nutrients because of how all the components of the food aids the body’s absorption. If you miss one bit out, it may mean that the body doesn’t recognise the extract you have taken in the supplement and doesn’t absorb it. Alternatively when taking isolated nutrients the body may absorb too much as the natural block/buffer isn’t there that may be there when eating the food as a whole.
So happy eating and you may well be surprised at the amount of superfoods you already eat or shocked to discover that you don’t eat many. Don’t worry, there is always time to change and don’t beat yourself up about it either.
Katie X
The Yellow Dress Project 