Are SuperFoods Really Super?

By Suzanne W. Dixon, MPH, MS, RD

SuperFoods: What’s in a Name

Lately, you’ve probably been hearing a lot about “superfoods”. A quick Google search of the term will lead you to a range of websites and topics. You can learn about Dr. Perricone’s Superfoods from Oprah.com. You’ll be enticed by advertisements to buy chlorella, a blue-green algae referred to as “Nature’s Perfect Superfood”. You’ll find information on superfoods from reputable and not-so-reputable sources.

Folks such as WebMD and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which are reputable, are tapping into the superfoods craze. They offer information on “’Superfoods’ Everyone Needs” and “10 Superfoods for Better Health!” On the not-so-reputable side are the multiple (and questionable) potions and elixirs making unrealistic promises. They offer to deliver the benefits of superfoods quickly and easily…without actually having to eat food.

But what is this superfoods craze all about? And what can you take away from all of the superfoods hype?

From Superfoods to Superdiet

The idea of “superfoods” often begins with interest in certain foods that only are found in a few specific cultures or regions of the world. Soy foods are an example of one of the first so-called “superfoods”. Traditional soy foods, such as tofu, tempeh, and miso, originally were consumed in far east Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea. In these areas, soy has been eaten for thousands of years.

These regions and countries also happen to enjoy some of the lowest levels of chronic disease in the world. Rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and more are a fraction of what they are in the United States and other western countries.

Soy foods are one obvious dietary difference between Asia and many western countries. This led people to suspect that soy foods were “special” or “super” in their ability to prevent disease. This might seem like a logical conclusion. Many Asian cultures consume soy foods. Many Asian cultures enjoy very low disease rates. Therefore, soy foods must prevent disease.

Traditional Asian soy foods can be part of a healthy diet. It is true that these foods contain an abundance of phytonutrients (plant nutrients) too. And medical research does support the disease-preventive properties of whole soy foods.

However, it is not true that soy and soy alone is responsible for the superior health and longevity found in several Asian countries. There are so many differences, dietary and otherwise, between Asian and western cultures. To chalk up low disease rates to soy alone would be a mistake.

Asians tend to be thinner. They often get more exercise, more sleep, and less fat in the diet than Americans. They may have better social and extended family networks and less stress in their lives. They eat less processed food and more vegetables. They consume plants that are never or rarely eaten in western cultures, such as seaweed. All of these things (and more) likely contribute to the low disease rates seen in many parts of Asia.

All of this points to something obvious that we often forget in our excitement over superfoods: no one food is the answer to good health. The truth is that many other dietary factors contribute to good health. The bottom line is that there really are no such things as superfoods. Instead, we should be trying to figure out what makes up a superdiet.

Putting the “Super” in Your Diet

The example of soy as a superfood is one of many. The foods that top the “superfoods” lists you may have seen likely have similar stories. From acai (ah-sigh-ee) and goji berries to maca root and green tea, everyone has an example of their favorite superfood. They can point to the food, and the superior health enjoyed by the culture that consumes it. This is given as proof that this food is “super” or truly special.

However, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that the entire diet of these cultures is key to the positive health benefits observed. Olive oil, consumed as part of the Mediterranean diet, often is touted as a path to good health. But beyond olive oil you’ll find fish, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruit, moderate amounts of red wine, lower body weights, less red meat, and other factors that are part of the good health picture.

To sum it all up, we need to focus on eating a super diet, rather than the superfood of the moment. What does a super diet look like? Think plants. Above all else, science supports that a plant-based diet is the key to good health and lower rates of disease. Plant-based doesn’t have to mean vegetarian, although that’s fine if you prefer it. Plant-based simply means that the bulk of your calories come from unrefined and minimally processed, whole foods.

Planning Your Plate

If you’ve read any of my previous writings on diet and health, what comes next will sound familiar. The best way to use nutrition to lower your own risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, is to start with your plate.

In your mind, divide a typical round plate into four pie-shaped wedges. Three of those four wedges should be filled with vegetables (the biggest portions), fruit (a bit less than the veggies), and whole grains (no more than one serving per meal or snack). The last wedge should be devoted to lean protein, such as beans, fish, chicken, or lean beef.

In addition to these steps, you’ll want to focus on variety. Again, remember that no one food is “super enough” to provide the complete mix of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients necessary for good health. Instead, you want to tap into the healing power of as many whole plant foods as you can.

Eat green, yellow, red, purple, blue, and orange foods. Try kale, chard, and kiwi (green); pineapples, bananas, and corn (yellow); apples, strawberries, raspberries, red beans, beets, and tomatoes (red); plums, blackberries, blueberries, raisins, and eggplant (purple); and carrots, oranges, sweet potatoes, and melon (orange). These are just a few of the dozens of brightly colored foods that you’ll need if you want to eat a super diet.

What Purple Can Do For Your Health

By Eileen Coale

Blueberries, bilberries, black berries, black raspberries, and elderberries. Cherries, beets, purple cabbage, and even purple corn. What do these plant foods have in common? Anthocyanins. There are over 300 of these naturally occurring dietary phytochemicals (DPCs). They give foods their red, blue, and purple color. Their health benefits are many.

One of the most famous anthocyanin "success stories" occurred during World War II.

This amazing DPC helped Britain's fighter pilots perform better during nighttime missions. The pilots were fed bilberry jam, which enhanced their night vision. Today, we know that anthocyanins boost production of rhodopsin, a light-sensitive pigment found in the retina. These DPCs support healthy vision in other ways as well.

Improved vision is just one of the benefits of purple plant foods. Purple foods are high in antioxidants, which help the body repair itself. In addition to its positive effect on vision, antioxidant protection also helps support circulation, heart health, and even brain health.

Based on animal studies, anthocyanins may indeed help keep your brain young. Blueberries, an excellent source of anthocyanins, were fed to aging laboratory animals. The result? Improved memory, cognitive function, and motor skills. Since inflammation contributes to Alzheimer's and age-related dementia, the natural anti-inflammatory effect of anthocyanins may play a role in keeping brain function sharp.

This anti-inflammatory effect also explains why so many arthritis sufferers find relief from tart cherries. With their deep red color, tart cherries and cherry juice have been a pain-relieving remedy for arthritis for decades.That's because they're natural COX-2 inhibitors. DPCs found in cherries work much the same way as ibuprofen, aspirin, and similar drugs – but without the side effects.

Anthocyanins may also help prevent cancer. A healthy body regulates abnormal cells by causing them to die off before they become dangerous. This is called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. One type of anthocyanin in particular, known as cyanidin, supports apoptosis of damaged cells. Cyanidins are found in elderberries and chokeberries.

Try to include purple foods on your plate year round. In summer, be sure to take advantage of berry season. In winter, enjoy purple cabbage, eggplant, beets, and even purple potatoes. Aim for variety and seasonality, and you'll have your bases covered.

Must-see Food Documentaries

By Eileen Coale

“Imagine what it would be if, as a national policy, we said we would be only successful if we had fewer people going to the hospital next year than last year?

The idea then would be to have such nutritionally dense, unadulterated food that people who ate it actually felt better, had more energy and weren’t sick as much

... now, see, that’s a noble goal.”

(Joel Salatin, Owner of Polyface Farms, Virginia, and a leading voice in the sustainable farm movement, quoted in Food, Inc.)

Our nation's health care policy has been the subject of heated discussion lately. As part of that discussion, shouldn't we also consider how our food system affects our health? In 2009 two groundbreaking documentaries addressed that very question. The first, Food, Inc., asks "Is bigger really better?" Most of the nation's food supply is now controlled by just a few corporations – and it has not been good for our health. This film pulls no punches to expose the problems in our national food system. It also reveals the failure of government to protect consumers all the while protecting corporate profits.

Where Food, Inc., is problem focused, Fresh is solution focused. Like Food, Inc., this documentary features interviews with bestselling author Michael Pollan and activist farmer Joel Salatin. But perhaps even more uplifting are the profiles of innovative thinkers and doers. These individuals are changing the landscape of the food system, literally and figuratively.

Both films are now available on DVD.

For more information:

www.foodincmovie.com

www.freshthemovie.com