Do superfoods work?

First of all, it must be made clear that "super food" is not a professional concept recognized by the nutrition community at all. It is essentially a gimmick created by American food merchants in the 1980s for marketing purposes. So if you ask whether it is useful, the answer is not so black and white - it is not as amazing as the merchant boasts that "one bite can fight cancer and aging, reduce fat and prevent disease", nor is it purely worthless in terms of IQ tax. The core depends on what your expectations are for it and how you eat it.

The attitude towards superfoods around me is divided into two groups. The locker of the health party has half a jar of quinoa, chia seeds, and frozen blueberries. They say that after eating it for more than half a year, the old problem of constipation is gone, and there are fewer colds during the change of seasons.； The rationalists frowned when it was mentioned, saying that it was all an IQ tax to harvest anxiety, and they would not take it for free. In fact, both sides are a bit extreme. The nutritional density of ingredients labeled as "super" is generally higher than that of ordinary ingredients. For example, the protein content of quinoa is more than twice that of rice, and it also contains all 9 essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize by itself. It is good news for vegetarians. In the past two years, I helped a vegetarian family in the community make dietary adjustments and replaced one-third of their staple food with quinoa. After three months, the child's physical examination indicators caught up with children of the same age. There are also anthocyanins in blueberries, dietary fiber and vitamin K in kale, which are all components that have been proven to have clear nutritional value by academic circles. For people who usually eat takeaways and don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, adding a little to their meals can really make up for the gap.

But there are really not a few people who are cheating. Last week, I saw a blogger complaining that he spent more than 2,000 yuan to buy a bunch of imported superfood powder, such as acai berry powder, maca powder, and spirulina powder. It was advertised that he could lose 15 kilograms in a month and brighten his skin. But after drinking it for two weeks, he gained three kilograms and his blood sugar level was high. When I checked the ingredients, I found that a lot of maltodextrin and fructose syrup were added to it. Even if it is a pure powder without additives, if you make 10 grams of it every day, the active ingredient is not as much as eating half a pound of ordinary small tomatoes, not to mention that many people regard superfoods as "health-free gold medals". They eat fried chicken and drink milk tea during the day, and make a cup of kale powder at night and feel that they have completed the health KPI. It is strange that it can be useful.

I had a meal with a doctor from the nutrition department of a city hospital before. He said that people’s current misunderstandings about superfoods are essentially because they want to find “healthy shortcuts”. In fact, superfoods are more like extra points in your daily diet. Just like you have already applied skin care lotions and creams in place, adding an essence can be the icing on the cake. If you stay up late every day and eat heavy food, no matter how expensive the essence is, it will not save your face. We ordinary people don’t need to pursue those imported superfoods that cost hundreds of dollars per pound. The nutritional density of spinach, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes sold in the wet market downstairs is no worse than imported kale. As long as you eat a balanced diet and eat 12 kinds of ingredients a day, even if you don’t eat a bite of superfood, your body will not be lacking in nutrients.

To be honest, if you are really interested and want to give it a try, buy raw ingredients first, don’t buy highly processed powder products, and don’t believe in those hyped healing properties. Just add it to your meals as an ordinary ingredient, and you will get unexpected effects.