What are superfoods? These are those all-in-all, nutrient-dense, and super healthy foods we consume daily. It avails loads of health and fitness benefits. Unlike other food groups, they contain an amplified diversity of nutrients. These foods help to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of developing certain diseases.
Take blueberries, for example- they are high in flavonoid content which makes them highly nutritious. They play a preventive role against chronic inflammatory diseases such as cancer, thus boosting overall immunity.
But what is all this superfoods hype?
Recalling the Past.
You might be wondering why the term superfoods are today’s trend. But it has its roots from way past, that the term was used as a marketing strategy in the 20th century, to boost banana sales in the US market.
What happened next was a dream come true for the United Fruits Company – their sales of bananas went up. The fruit was considered the magic to alleviate risk and even treat several diseases in the general population. For example, physicians suggested banana to be a potent ingredient used for pediatric patients with celiac disease. Banana, as of that time, was considered the superman of the food groups.
The Hype of Today.
Fast forward to the 2010s, superfoods had become diversified into many food items. These including moringa, oats, ginger, turmeric, matcha, blueberries, and more. These foods, packed with certain nutrients and fiber, have been the “apple” of many celebs and fitness trainers on Instagram and other sites. Every day, you could see one celeb drinking coconut water for breakfast and a gym trainer sprinkling flax seeds over oatmeal.
Yogurt, olive oil, berries, cacao, leafy greens, and tomatoes are considered some of the latest top superfoods as you read this blog.
Functional Medicine and Food.
With time, we see Medicine and food overlapping more than ever because of extensive evidence found on the benefits. Many people are now taking the “holistic” and “integrative” path where they believe they can benefit from superfoods to optimize their overall health.
Functional Medicine is incomplete without food, and superfoods come to play a massive role in this aspect. With more and more studies being conducted worldwide on this subject, the superfood market will see a rise that extends way beyond our expectations.
However, it all comes down to one question: Are these superfoods overhyped? Considering them as an integral part of a marketing strategy, can we consider superfoods the ultimate answer to preventive and even therapeutic health? Yes! Superfoods, e.g., organic blueberries, Macha tea, green leafy vegetables, salmon, ginger, seaweed, barley etc. can be very effective in improving your health, if you incorporate these nutrient-dense foods into your diet.
Get into the hype, and you will discover a new wealth in your health. You will wonder why you have not started earlier. And you may be undermining the role of a healthy, well-balanced diet and all the beautiful diversity of different foods available in all food groups as we highlight our “legendary” items in the list.