It is so easy to drink the cultural Kool-Aid and become obsessed with the current superfoods. It is hard to be immune to it. Kale. Chia seeds. Goji berries. People who eat these things on a regular basis seem like they have it together much more so than the rest of us. Or they seem like they are the ultimate in hipster living.
Spoiler alert: there is actually no such thing as a superfood. (1)
The term was coined for marketing purposes (and man did it work, based on the contents of my fridge). When a food coins itself as a superfood – or even better is granted that term by an expert such as a nutritionist – it can affect how Americans eat. (2)
No single food can offer wellbeing and nutrition. There is certainly no one food that is going to solve all health concerns, flatten all stomachs and keep worry about disease at bay. However, if you want to believe in a quick fix, the Internet is teeming with articles entitled, “The superfoods to add to your diet right now.” (Phrases like "right now" only further increase the urgency of the situation. Get some coconut oil – stat!)
However, there some foods that are so chock full of nutrients that it is hard not to bestow on them the “super” title. These foods can help in the prevention of curtain diseases and fighting inflammation. They are bursting with vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants. (2)
Alissa Rumsey, R.D., C.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in New York City suggests, “There’s always a new hot thing, but antioxidants are in every fruit and vegetable so I recommend people eat a wide variety, especially the brightly colored ones like wild blueberries, or dark leafy greens like spinach. Make sure you are eating a variety and eating enough each day. Try to have a vegetable at every meal and a fruit two to three times a day.” (2)
In other words, a varied whole foods diet is what is healthy, rather than anything with superhero status. Practically anything that is considered produce could also be considered a superfood. The marketing team might not have gotten around to it just yet.
Reducing sugar and processed foods and increasing fiber and plant based foods will do anyone’s health some good. This doesn’t mean that on the days you eat blueberries you are better off than the days you eat strawberries, or if you choose to eat broccoli instead of kale you are nutritionally deficient. Nutritionist Stephanie Kay writes, “Chia and flax seed are great, but they aren’t necessarily any better than sunflower and pumpkin seeds which are both incredibly nutritious. You don’t need to seek out super grains like quinoa if you have access to local potatoes or oatmeal, they are just as beneficial. Coconut oil and avocado oil are wonderful cooking fats, but if you don’t live near a coconut or avocado tree, you are most certainly ok to use good quality butter and animal fat.” (3)
Kale might have made it seem like it mops up free radicals better than any other leafy green, but the truth is, it doesn’t. (4)
There is no doubt that leafy greens and fatty sustainable fish and eggs have a different effect on our bodies rather than say, a bowl of Doritos. But you don’t need flax and amaranth and spirulina to be a healthy person. You just need common sense.