Pink coconut water, camu camu and lucuma? Oh, that was so last year! Apparently this year’s hottest superfoods will be maqui berries, watermelon seeds and chaga mushrooms. The mighty mushroom powder is a bargain at GBP11.90 for 100g!
I love health shops, the scent of herbs and produce, the hippish look of the shop assistant, the lovely supplements, vitamins, minerals all lined up, maybe the soft chillout music in the background. I love to look at the products on display, the creative marketing and premium colored packaging. And the superfoods…
What are superfoods? Nutrient powerhouses that pack large doses of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. Or a marketing term used to describe foods with supposed health benefits?
Like most things, it’s never black or white. My nutritional approach is based on achievable, sustained, long-term progress. Shortcuts, like the wonder pill or miraculous product do not address the root cause of the problem. They might provide antioxidants and a boost of energy, which is always useful, but you need to address the bigger picture.
It’s easy to fall for a fad, an extreme or a short term approach, which might be beneficial in the short run, but doesn’t address the lifestyle problem. Listening to the body helps avoid following a diet that might be appealing intellectually, maybe some friends are doing it, but isn’t suited to the unique individual.
At what stage of progress are you? Some people seriously begin to learn about nutrition at 30 or 40 and need valid guidelines to start off, a structure to encourage a change of old habits.
It is often a struggle to progress towards a more balanced or more fitting nutrition and lifestyle. Maybe an antioxidant powder, acai or mesquite alongside the supermarket’s ready meal would do?
I don’t blame you if that’s what you feel. It is difficult to understand what we should be doing. Your focus might be on career, family or other things, nutrition and health are often a lower priority value. Until the symptoms are so annoying you gotta do something about it.
Might a superfood help, or a multivitamin? It’s easy to take, mix some powder in water. Take a tablet or two and you’ll be fine. Not quite.
We all need macronutrients, low GI carbohydrates, high-quality protein and fat. We need fibre. And we need micronutrients, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. It can be beneficial to take supplements, maybe omega 3 fatty acids in some cases, or vitamin D if you spend most of your day inside, magnesium during times of stress. Sometimes you want to be on a short-term regime, to address a specific problem.
The sleek looking antioxidant mix isn’t bad of course. It can add some good nutrition. Particularly natural, unrpocessed superfoods are nice to take indeed.
Why not starting with the locally produced, readily available “super” foods, less trendy and never hyped, the ones you can sustainably have as part of your weekly eating routine. I am talking about cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and the brassica family. Leeks, spring onions and garlic, common mushrooms. Coloured vegetables, apples and simple berries. Fatty, sustainable and low-cost fish like sardines and mackerels.
What if you already have good nutrition in place? The argument goes: we live in a world where agricultural land is depleted by intense farming and monoculture, food on grocery stores’ shelves is days old and has lost a lot of its micronutrients. If you add environmental pollution and a high stress, busy lifestyle, there’s no way you’ll be able to get all your requirements met through food alone. The average person will require more antioxidants, minerals and nutritional help to fight oxidation and low-grade inflammation for top health. It makes sense.
Nothing on its own will make the magic. A typical example is bone broth. Used in many traditional cuisines, It contains quite a bit of nutrition, including collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine which can be useful for supporting gut health and joints. It also makes a great risotto Milanese. Is stock generally good to add to soups and stews or have on its own? Absolutely. Can you eat anything you like, add broth and be healthy long term? Probably not.
Looking at the past, you might remember the hype around grapefruit in the 80s. Or bananas! The Morning Banana Diet was popular in Japan in 2008, causing shortages in food stores. And there’s more, banana skins were also recently promoted as superfood! At least grapefruits and bananas are cheap. Stylish New York and California based outlets are selling simple bone broth for up to $9 a cup!
What is real nutrition vs fads?
- Go for a range, a fairly large variety of foods on your table. Unless there is a very good reason for it, like an allergy or strong sensitivity or a specific condition you need to support, do not eliminate entire food groups and aim to expand the range rather than reducing it.
- Be particularly mindful of eating a lot of vegetables and fruit, start with 5 portions and fall in love with them, moving towards 7 or more portions a day.
- Eat whole food as much as possible, learn to cook some basic dishes and identify decent outlets near work for lunch.
- Do not get too extreme, if you generally have healthy habits, it is OK to slip up every once in awhile.
- A fitting lifestyle, aligned to your personal values and unique predispositions is the basis of a happy, healthy life. And so is balanced, sensible nutrition.
And the superfoods, yes or no? Spirulina, chlorella, alfalfa? Yes, surely, but keep it real, there is no shying away from balancing your meals and going wholefood.
