You may have come across the term \u201cSuperfood\u201d that claims to have amazing health benefits or even healing properties. What exactly is a superfood and is it really worth the hype?<\/p>\n
A \u201cSuperfood\u201d is a food with high levels of desirable nutrients, and believed to offer several health benefits beyond its nutritional value. Some examples of such foods would be acai berries, spirulina, kale, flaxseed, maca, etc.<\/p>\n
For many of the claims made about these \u201cSuperfoods\u201d, there is\u00a0not enough scientific evidence and research to support them<\/strong>. Most only have\u00a0preliminary research<\/strong>\u00a0done on\u00a0animal models<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0under a microscope<\/strong>. Hence, we cannot assume it would have the same effects on humans.<\/p>\n \u201cSuperfoods\u201d are\u00a0often nutritious<\/strong>. However, the term is commonly used in the food industry as a\u00a0marketing strategy<\/strong>\u00a0to drive sales. Without the term, they really are just\u00a0fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and herbs<\/strong>, or \u201cFunctional Foods<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n You may find out what nutrient in the \u201cSuperfood\u201d that makes it beneficial. There are other foods with the\u00a0same nutrients<\/strong>\u00a0that may be a cheaper alternative with the same health benefits. For example, acai berry is rich in phytonutrients that gives a bright purple colour. Other fruits with those vibrant colours will also contain those phytonutrients, such as blueberries and cranberries.<\/p>\n In conclusion, we can look at these \u201cSuperfoods\u201d as a\u00a0healthy addition<\/strong>\u00a0to our\u00a0balanced diet,\u00a0<\/strong>but do note that there are cheaper alternatives available with the same health benefits. It is also important to not look at these foods as miracle foods as there is not enough evidence to support the claims made. \u00a0No single food \u2014\u00a0not even a superfood<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 can offer all the nutrition, health benefits, and energy we need to nourish ourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You may have come across the term \u201cSuperfood\u201d that claims to have amazing health benefits or even healing properties. What exactly is a superfood and is it really worth the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,12,62],"tags":[43],"class_list":{"0":"post-2412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blogs","8":"category-debunking-myths","9":"category-healthy-lifestyle","10":"tag-diet"},"acf":{"standfirst":"You may have come across the term \u201cSuperfood\u201d that claims to have amazing health benefits or even healing properties. What exactly is a superfood and is it really worth the hype?","author_":"Emiko Ong","job_title":"Trainee\/Assistant Dietitian","organisation":"365 Cancer Prevention Society","link":"","post_header_image":2413,"background_alignment":"center"},"yoast_head":"\n