Superfoods: benefit or pointless waste of money?

Nowadays, healthy food is getting more and more attention. New products with impressive characteristics are regularly appearing on store shelves. You may have already heard the term superfood. It is a product that contains extremely valuable vitamins and nutrients.

What is a superfood?

In general, superfood can hardly be attributed to a separate food group, so it is more of a marketing term for products that are more or less healthy. Such products are something between a food and a food supplement. Most often they are of plant origin and allow you to improve the quality of your diet. They are, for example, dried berries and seeds, roots and leaves, powders and extracts rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, phytochemicals and various beneficial acids.

What is the difference between supplements and bio supplements?

Bio supplements are developed in sterile laboratories. Whereas superfoods have been growing on their own for several thousand years. They were able to draw attention to themselves in the wave of the general craze for a healthy lifestyle. They were noticed not only by HWL enthusiasts, athletes or vegetarians, but also, of course, by marketers.

Why did superfoods become popular?

For the first time superfoods were talked about by raw foodists and vegans: they tried to find products that could replace food of animal origin. Then David Wolf, a well-known nutritionist and propagandist of the raw food movement, discovered cocoa beans, spirulina algae, goji berries and açai berries. The news quickly spread around the world with the slogan “feel better, look younger, live longer”. Thus, the trend for natural products, backed by organic “superfood” on the packaging, aroused great interest among consumers, which increased sales several times. The European Union even introduced a law that regulates the use of the term on products.

The downside of superfoods

At this point, it is still unknown exactly how true the research is and whether these superfoods are really so beneficial for humans. The Western world assimilates such nutrients worse than, for example, peoples who are predisposed genetically. Is there any guarantee that the result from eating superfoods will be as expected from it? Moreover, the body may react differently to them: allergies, nausea or digestive problems. Do not forget that superfoods are only an additive to food, but not its replacement. The main thing is to eat a balanced diet.

The most famous superfoods

Goji berries: bright red berries that look like hard raisins. They are known for their rejuvenating and toning properties and are high in vitamin C, polysaccharides and amino acids. They mainly grow in Asia, Mongolia and Central America.

Chia seeds: the seeds resemble sesame seeds, containing essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Chia are also rich in iron, vitamins, minerals, zinc and potassium. They are often used in puddings and as egg substitutes in vegan desserts.

Spirulina algae: The blue-green microalgae spirulina contains vitamin B12 and protein. Special farms are now being set up to cultivate it.

Cocoa beans: the most famous of the superfoods, because most chocolate products are made from this raw material. Cocoa beans are valued for their high iron, magnesium and antioxidant content. In raw form, they are most often added to energy bars and smoothies.

Açaí berries: small dark purple berries that contain antioxidants, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Scientists seriously believe that this berry can be used to prolong beauty, health and youth. Unfortunately, however, it cannot be shipped fresh, so it is frozen, freeze-dried or turned into a powder before transportation, which is usually added to yogurts, desserts and smoothies.

Beans and whole grains: Beans are a source of low-fat protein and insoluble fiber, and whole grains, unlike processed grains, are not lacking in important fiber for normal digestion. Like beans, they contain protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Kale: thiscabbage has an incredible amount of nutrients: vitamins A, C and K, fiber, calcium and minerals.

Batatas: or otherwise sweet potato. It contains fiber and high amounts of vitamin A. It does not require the addition of salt, butter or cream during cooking: its flavor is quite bright.