By: Shelly Najjar, MPH, RDN, CD
The term “superfood” is commonly used to mean a food reported to provide health benefits like reducing the risk of diseases, prolonging life or healing illnesses. Superfoods are known to have various vitamins and minerals and contain antioxidants, but what is a superfood? Turns out, there’s actually no medical definition, and the term can be misleading.
What is a superfood?
Instead of superfood, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and many other organizations support the use of the term “functional food.” This term has slightly different meanings depending on the organization, but the general definition is a whole food (not a pill or supplement) that has some benefit beyond basic nutrition required for survival. However, “functional food” is still not a federally legal term, which means there’s no regulation for it or the term “superfood.”
On the other hand, there are many foods that have a statement from one of three groups of health claims that are approved and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use on some food labels. There are three types of regulated statements: health claims, nutrient content claims and structure/function claims.
Some of the food label claims you may see are:
- “Adequate calcium and vitamin D as part of a healthful diet, along with physical activity, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life” (health claim)
- Terms like “free,” “high” and “low,” or a comparison to the levels in another food, with terms like “more,” “reduced” and “lite” (nutrient content claims)
- “Fiber maintains bowel regularity” (structure/function claim)
In addition to the food label claims, you may also see research to support recommending including these foods in a varied diet:
- Fruits and vegetables (such as blackberries, blueberries, apples, grapefruit, cranberries, broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, soy, garlic, ginger, pumpkin)
- Nuts and seeds (like almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sesame)
- Beans and legumes (like peanuts, black beans, garbanzo beans, edamame)
- Whole grains (like whole wheat)
- Oils (such as oils from fish, olive oil)
- Yogurt
- Red wine
- Dark chocolate
While these foods are healthier options, the truth is, none of these are going to make you healthier. These foods aren’t shortcuts to better health and there are no magic foods that will make you healthier — it’s our overall diet that matters. Individual foods rise and fall in popularity, and while they may have benefits, they’re often not the only way to get the nutrients advertised.
Less popular foods are still important
Don’t exclude certain foods from your diet because they’re not as popular. Blueberries, for example, are often considered a superfood because they have antioxidants like Vitamin C and beneficial plant compounds called flavonoids. However, you can also get those from other less glamorous foods like apples, kale or onions. And those aren’t the only ones — there are numerous food options that have nutrients you can benefit from.
- Resveratrol in red wine can also be found in grapes.
- Acai berries have nutrients similar to other berries including cranberries and strawberries.
- Green tea has catechin which can also be found in kiwi, strawberries and apples.
Tips for better health
- Variety is key. Rather than just focusing on specific foods, it’s recommended that everyone eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. This will ensure our bodies receive plenty of antioxidants and other important nutrients.
- Consider the “health halo.” The “health halo” is the sense that certain foods are healthy because of the way they’re advertised or talked about in media. For example, a highly processed food might contain a “superfood” or other beneficial ingredients, but it doesn’t make the food automatically nutritious. Or it might not have a certain ingredient or component (like cholesterol or gluten), but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s nutritious (or that you should necessarily avoid those components).
- Consult with an expert. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are nutrition experts with years of training and education. Nutrition often complements other therapies like physical therapy so you can treat your whole self and live your healthiest life.
Personal dietitians and your health
From tips to eating healthy on the run, to smart food shopping and home preparation, meeting with a personal dietitian will help you create a healthy and well-balanced nutrition lifestyle without giving up taste, convenience or the fun of eating! Feel free to contact us today for more information on Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) services with an RDN!