In Search of Healthy Food debate | Super Foods Guide

Just how super are super foods for our health?

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In our celebrity obsessed, new-trend-every-15-minutes culture, it's hardly surprising that food has joined the S-list. That's 'super foods' to you and me. But can any one food really be more super duper than the next? We reckon it's time to squeeze out the hype; chuck out any spurious health/IQ/fertility/mood/energy boosting claims and take a refreshing look at the facts.

What would you rather spend the best part of a tenner on? A punnet of libido enhancing goji berries and a vial (vile!) of wheatgrass, or a week's worth of everyday fresh fruit and veg from the market?

Or, perhaps we should stop pooh-poohing the new and exotic. Variety is the spice of life after all. If some of us think foods that are labelled 'super' taste great and do miraculous healthy things to our bodies - what's wrong with that? And perfectly reputable companies have created delicious products on the back of the super food wagon, so there must be something in it.

The top of the super foods charts began years ago with blueberries, followed by broccoli, oily fish, pomegranates and new entries - acai and goji berries

What are super foods exactly and how do they work? Apart from being a term that basically describes food that's very good for you; super foods are supposedly packed with energy and memory enhancing 'micronutrients'. The definition of micronutrients by the way is - tiny amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.

The other feature that crops up constantly with super foods is - antioxidants. There's plenty of laboratory evidence showing that these powerful, natural chemicals may slow down or even prevent the development of cancer, heart disease and other age-related conditions. The 'best' performing antioxidant appears to be polyphenols, which are found in cocoa, grapes, berries and wine. Catechins and epicatechins aren't particularly easy to pronounce, but are found in green tea. What's worth remembering though, is that antioxidants aren't exclusively found in foods that are deemed 'super'. From grapes to potatoes, most everyday fruits and vegetables have them.

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"From a niche start in hardcore health food shops to high street stores, super foods are now available everywhere, all year around"

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Drawing up a definitive list of what constitutes a 'super' versus 'ordinary' food isn't easy. Hundreds of foods could be described as super. They might simply be the 'it' food for that month - pushed to front-of-shelf by a slick marketing campaign, new cookbook, fad diet or pop/film star endorsement.

One thing you can be sure of is, that as fast as new research adds another food to the group, leading diet and medical experts will warn us that were being misled and the whole superfood concept is flawed. So whom should we believe? Commonsense would tell you that you can't really examine the nutrient separately from the food; the food separately from the diet; and the diet separately from the lifestyle. Everything needs to be assessed together to put it into a realistic context.

The nutrient, beta carotene is a good example of this contradiction. Eaten in its natural form in orange coloured veg such as sweet potatoes and carrots, it appears to work as an anti-oxidant, killing the free radicals in cells which can trigger diseases. But when beta carotene is extracted and given as a dietary supplement, it has been found to increase the risk of certain cancers, especially in smokers.

When foods are given a superior nutritional status and novelty value it implies that ordinary foods are somehow deficient and boring

And to burst yet another balloon on the pro-super side - just because certain foods contain a particular vitamin or nutrient doesn't mean they will be especially good for you. In fact, our bodies only ever require a certain amount of nutrients. The rest are simply excreted. So you might as well choose a cheap and tasty British apple over a strange smelling, tropical durian fruit. Our health, wallet and the environment will undoubtedly feel much better off for it.

Superfood stockists partly get round the 'food miles' problem by saying dried fruit such as goji berries are shipped, not flown

Apologies if our views on this topic makes us sound like overly wholesome killjoys. But if the super food debate has highlighted anything - it's the need for less unproven health benefits and hyperbole and more nutritional, scientific research.

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The Superlist

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The fact that the foods on this list are usually consumed in their pure, unadulterated state, might explain why people on exclusively super food diets claim to feel so rejuvenated and energised. Cutting down on processed foods and having to cook more meals from scratch is probably the real reason behind their new-found health and wellbeing.

The truth and myths behind the super fod heroes

Avocados

When avocados were introduced to the UK about 40 years ago they were considered to be unusual and sophisticated. Although a ripe avocado can contain 20% fat, this is mainly monosaturated fat. This is good for the heart as it has been proven to help boost HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. And even at 190kcals per 100g, this versatile fruit is still only a quarter of the calories within mayonnaise, and great in smoothies. Other nutrients include the powerful anti-aging antioxidant - vitamin E and potassium. That's 60% more than you'd find in bananas. The omega 3 oil in an avocado can also protect the body against heart disease and diabetes.

Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, blackberries)

Packed with essential nutrients, these have often been called the super food of the century. Berries claimed to help with brain development and to boost immunity against infection. But as far as developing a higher IQ is concerned, as yet we have no published evidence to support this. Berries also contain folic acid, though this is common across a wide range of plant-based foods.

Pomegranate juice

Pomegranates contain a plant anti-oxidant called polyphenols, supposed anti-carcinogens that are great for the heart and blood. Consuming a modest 180ml serving of pomegranate juice leads to an increase in blood anti-oxidant levels for one hour, but this effect is rapidly removed from the blood. So the long-lasting health-giving properies are questionable. Pomegranates are also widely claimed to have eight times the anti-oxidant potential of tea.

Seaweed

Can this nutrient powerhouse of the sea really lay claim to: boosting brain power, stimulating the immune system, preventing dermatitis, heavy metal poisoning, obesity, depression, congestion and anaemia? Yes, but… the reality is that the nutrients in seaweeds are actually found in all green vegetables. It's also worth bearing in mind that seaweed produces natural toxins called microcystins that can cause liver damage in humans and are thought to be potentially carcinogenic. Not so super on all fronts then.

Goji berries (wolfberries)

Pronounced "go-gee" these Himalayan 'miracle' fruits are already very popular on the celebrity circuit. Small, red, dried and rather like a savoury cranberry, gojis are supposed to contain more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots and more iron than steak. And at just 10-30 grammes per daily serving they are the true 'Size zero' of the super food world. They've been hyped as 'fruit Viagra' and 'ellulite-busting' to boot. But two facts are definitely true. First - that at £1.99 for a 60g bag of shriveled fruit - they're expensive. And some say the taste isn't that glamorous, having being likened to tea.

Wheatgrass

Popular with health food shops across the land, wheatgrass is often displayed as growing turfs on the counter and 'juiced' to order. Its blood cleansing and detox qualities are attributed to both the 'natural plant enzymes' and the chlorophyll content of the freshly-juiced grass. It's true that wheatgrass contains the anti-oxidant apigenin. But the commonly held assumption that a 30ml shot of wheatgrass juice is nutritionally equivalent to a kilogram of vegetables is a complete myth. A floret or two of broccoli, or a tablespoon of spinach, easily contain more folic acid and vitamin C. In fact, wheatgrass' supposed high levels of chlorophyll is no higher than any other green leaf. And be thankful that chlorophyll is not absorbed into the body - or else we would turn an attractive shade of 'Incredible Hulk' green!

A 'super-diet' of good food is a better thing to aim for rather than consuming the occasional 'super food'

So have you come across any food that you think should be classed as a super food? Are some foods truly better for us than others? Many nutritionists say that coffee (in small amounts), iron-rich red meat and baked beans earn the title. Maybe the official snack of England's World Cup team - the humble Jaffa cake, should go into the super food premier league. But that's a whole different debate entirely…

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