There are many claims that certain foods are ’superfoods’ and hold miraculous health benefits, but are these claims true, and do superfoods really live up to the hype?
The short answer, is no.
The long answer looks at the amount and quality of evidence that supports these claims.
An NHS report on the subject states that there is no official definition of a “superfood”, and this lack of a benchmark allows scientists and companies to set their own standards to suit their findings.
Some of the research into ‘superfoods’ examines food extracts in much greater quantities than you would typically eat in one day, or even one week. This means that even if there were some magical benefits to eating one particular food, you’d have to eat so much of it that you may not have room for anything else in your diet! It’s not all a myth however, there is strong evidence to support the claim that oily fish is good for your heart health:
Which fish?
Examples of oily fish:
Salmon
Mackerel
Sardines
Pilchards
Fresh Tuna
Trout
Herring
Examples of non-oily fish:
Tinned Tuna
Cod
Pollock
Plaice
Haddock
Hake
Sea Bass
The UK government recommends healthy adults eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily fish (pregnant women should not exceed two portions each week).
This can be fresh, smoked or tinned.
Vegetarian substitutes include:
Flaxseed (linseed) oil (unheated)
Ground flaxseed (linseed)
Rapeseed oil (unheated)
Hempseed oil (unheated)
Hempseed
Walnuts
Super Diet!
From another perspective, you could say there is a huge range of superfoods widely available. Pretty much everything you find in the fresh produce section of the supermarket for example!
Rather than focusing on one or two ‘superfoods’ which have little evidence of being better than other foods – the healthier option is to ensure you have a super diet.
Include a wide range of different fruits and vegetables, plenty of wholegrain carbohydrates like wholegrain bread and pasta, and lean proteins like turkey and fish.
The key is balance and moderation
No healthy food can ‘make up’ for unhealthy food. The best option is to make sure all your food is healthy in the first place, and then you’ll have a super diet.
Our sources and for more information:
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