We sure like to put the word “super” in front of anything in this industry. Superfoods, SuperFruits, SuperSize …whoops – that one is for the fast food industry! Around this time of year you hear a lot of talk about what will be the top SuperFood of 2010. Of course, that question would be easier to answer if we could all agree on a definition for superfoods.
What is a SuperFood Anyway?
Here is how Wikipedia defines a SuperFood -
Superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may confer health benefits as a result.
That clears it all up, right? No, such a broad definition of SuperFood would make almost any fruit, by definition a SuperFood. When every fruit can fall into a definition, that definition loses any significance. If every fruit is a superfood or superfruit, what makes one fruit more super than the next???
How Does the FDA Define SuperFoods and SuperFruits
They don’t! It is important to understand that there is no legal definition of SuperFoods or SuperFruits. There is no science to apply to a food and determine if it is a super food. As far as the FDA is concerned, all this talk about Superfoods is just marketing.
What About Acai, Muscadines, Resveratrol, Noni, etc. – I thought they were SuperFoods?
We do believe that Muscadine Grapes, Acai Berries and Resveratrol all have super nutritional profiles and some impressive health benefits. So, it seems fair to call these elite fruits SuperFoods – and almost everyone does. However, if you twist our arm and ask us what scientific formula we use to determine if a food makes it to SuperFood status – we have a one word answer – Oprah!
Oprah Gets to Decide What is A SuperFood???
Yes – but don’t worry she has help. People like Barbara Walters, anyone from 60 Minutes, The Today Show, any doctor with a book to sell, a staff writer at People Magazine and the list goes on. Yes, in the end it is really mainstream media that ends up (often very unintentionally) pushing a food or fruit to Super Food status.
Acai was a popular fruit until Dr. Perricone went on Oprah and declared it the top superfood. Resveratrol was an interesting component of grapes until Dr. Oz started talking about it on Oprah and 60 Minutes did a piece – now it is a SuperFood. I wish I could tell you that foods became superfoods based on exhaustive clinical studies and research – but the fact is a lot more people watch Oprah than read things like the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.
Rhodiola Rosea – Proof That SuperFood Determination is Not Based Solely on Science
Rhodiola Rosea is an adatogen herb that has truly incredible health properties (click here to read our whole special report on Rhodiola Rosea). Once you read the 40 years of research on Rhodiola, it clearly has high nutrient content and strong health benefits. However, Rhodiola has not been a feature in the mainstream media – so it is generally not called a SuperFood. Note to Oprah if you are reading – do a story on Rhodiola! It really should be a SuperFood!
The Last Person Who You Should Trust When it Comes to SuperFood Status
Here is an industry secret – ask an ingredient supplier what is the top superfood and he will tell you the ingredient he has the most of in stock!
Take with a large grain of salt any superfood predictions made by an ingredient supplier. Ask someone who sells Maqui what the top superfood of 2010 will be and guess what? They will say Maqui! It is almost like asking the CEO of a pencil company which is better pens or pencils. Is it really news when she declares pencils?
We only bring this up because it seems that many of the media stories on SuperFoods tend to quote predictions from the companies that make the foods that want to be SuperFoods. When reading a news story, just be aware of the source.
SuperFoods, like beauty, are In The Eye of the Beholder
I may like Muscadine grapes, you like Acai – it really doesn’t matter. Trying to come up with exactly what makes something a better or more super superfood than the next one, really is pointless. So, while we don’t love the lose definition of SuperFoods, we do like the concept.
It is great if we all start thinking more about what we put into our bodies. Food should have nutrition and provide some health benefits. Let’s take baby steps first. To start, maybe we should worry less about getting one or two superfoods each day and try to make everything we eat at least “GoodFood”. A day filled with “GoodFood” is much better than eating 3 SuperSized Big Mac Meals and then trying to balance that out with the latest SuperFood of the day.
