SUPERFOODS: Real or imaginary?

SUPER & FUNCTIONAL FOODS

You see it all the time, 'this super food will cure your every ailment', but are super foods real? And, if they are what are they and what's the best way to get them? Let's take a look at the foods the research tells us are essentials in a diet to prevent diseases like cancer and to maintain our vitality and health long-term, there's a solid few we should all be consuming. And, while we are there we want to have a chat about functional foods, they seem to be the big money earners!

IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S A SUPERFOOD! OR IS IT?
I MIGHT NEED SOME BETA-CAROTENE TO BE SURE

The reality is the term ‘superfood’ is not yet well defined. If you Google the term on the Internet you will see statements such as the following… superfoods:

• Are nutrient powerhouses
  
• Have large doses of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals
  
• Reduce the risk of illness
  
• Can increase your life expectancy
  
• Are foods that are nutritionally dense
  
• Have health powers
  
• Are a clean source of compounds known to improve our health
  
• Offer you more nutrition than usual foods
  
• Have nutrient density and diversity
  
• Are from plant sources
  
• Have phytonutrients that bring us good health
  
• Are clean from chemicals and toxins
  
• Are superior sources of nutrients our body can’t make
  

While many of the above adequately describe many superfoods, some have trouble backing up their claim with science, a few may ‘cast their net too broadly’, and others fail to take into account individual circumstances and access.

At this stage, let’s define a superfood as:

Any food or beverage which contains concentrated amounts of nutrients that sets it apart from most other foods, and/or contains a wide array of nutrients beyond levels that most foods offer, and which appear to provide health benefits.

FOODS THAT HAVE A BIT OF A REP

We know you just want to know what to eat so you don't get sick and you live a long and healthy vital life. Ok, so let's first consider foods by antioxidant status as a criteria. We can define an antioxidant as compounds found within certain foods or can be produced in the body that protects us against damage to our cells and DNA. Antioxidants are believed to prevent some cancers, support a healthy immune system and heart, and slow the aging and degenerative processes in the body. What's not to love about them!

THE PICK OF THE BUNCH

What we do know for sure is that some foods pack more of a punch than others in terms of nutrient profile and beneficial compounds including antioxidants. When you pool the findings, there are some very definite superfood contenders.

• Fish, especially those high in omega-3 oils
• Many veggies, particularly those that are strongly coloured, such as dark green or orange vegetables, and those that are aromatic, such as garlic
  
• Fruit, particularly berries, and those rich in vitamin C, such as acerola and red peppers
  
• Nuts and seeds and foods rich in oils, such as almonds, chia seeds, flaxseeds and avocado
• Herbs are finally beginning to be credited as superfoods, something many cultures have known for a very long time
• Probiotic-containing food such as yoghurt, for healthy bacteria - important for immunity
• Cruciferous produce may be useful in cancer prevention

Image: thedish.platted.com

ORAC RATING & ANTIOXIDANT STATUS

Take a look at the chart below, it's the ORAC rating of food groups. What's ORAC, you ask. Simple... the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of a food. Just kidding, not so simple, essentially it's a measure of the antioxidant status of a food. However, it's really important to keep in mind that this measure is done in a lab and just how a food on its own, or in combination, acts when consumed by different individuals isn't easy to determine. Still, just as a snapshot we love the fact that herbs and spices, at least in a lab, completely blitz the field when it comes to ORAC level, with clove leading the way.

FOODS REPORTED TO BE HIGH IN VARIOUS ANTIOXIDANTS

• Orange or yellow pigmented fruits and vegetables, eg. carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, rockmelon, tomato
  
• Dark coloured fruits and berries, eg. blueberries, cherries, prunes, grapes
• Bioflavonoids (rutin and quercetin) which are found in vegetables and dark coloured fruits and berries (strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries, mulberries, blackberries, cherries, prunes, grapes)
• Buckwheat and products made from buckwheat (soba noodles, baked goods made from buckwheat) are also high in bioflavonoids
• Citrus fruits
• Garlic and onions contain a substance called allyl sulfide which is said to actively work to reduce carcinogens, a cancer causing substance produced in the body 
• Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts
• Soy products and other legumes
• Tea, herbs and spices

If you follow us along you will have seen at least one of our posts about chai latte, now you know why!

THE FUNKY WORLD OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS

Before we sign off we wanted to touch on the topic of 'functional foods', given the huge and rapidly growing industry of 'food' it's worth considering this area. While there is no one agreed global definition of functional foods they are essentially foods that due to their inherent compounds have been scientifically shown to provide a positive health benefit, for example oats were recently shown to lower our risk of heart disease. Functional foods may prevent disease ranging from heart disease to inflammatory conditions and cancer, they may support immunity, protect cellular structures, improve cognitive functioning and support positive mental health.

It's suggested that we can group functional foods into five main groups:

1. Cold water fish — Sardines and Salmon
 due to the omega-3 fatty acids.
2. Nuts
 which are not only nutrient dense but have been found to be able to control blood sugar levels.
3. Whole Grains — Barley, it’s not just oatmeal that is reported to be a functional food, but whole grains including barley which are high in soluble fibre, found to lower cholesterol and aid blood sugar balance.
4. Beans
 again high in soluble fibre, beans have been found to reduce the risk of colon, rectal and breast cancers.
5. Berries
 contain numerous compounds and pigments that support good health. 

Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

FUNCTIONAL FOOD TRENDS

A 2011 UK (Sharma, 2010) report found that:

• All regions of the globe have seen a rise in the consumption of functional foods between 2006 and 2010. Significantly, the FOSHU (Japan’s regulator Foods for Specified health Use) food market grew by some 46.6% during that time.
• Around a quarter of consumers in the UK consume functional foods and drinks daily.
• Around 30% of consumers however reported not purchasing such products at all.
• Globally, the functional food market is dominated by dairy products (38%) such as probiotic yoghurt drinks.
• The major markets at present include Japan, the US, the UK and the EU.
• The growth markets appear to be in Asia-Pacific regions; China, India, Australia, Malaysia and Korea.

 
Clearly this is some dollars to be made in food production, so when you check out what's happen'en in the food industry, the major food trends appear to include:

1. Omega-3
   
2. Probiotics/prebiotics/synbiotics
3. Wholegrains and fibre
4. Phystoserols
5. Functional water (yikes)
6. Calorie burning foods (gulp)
7. Superfruits
8. Beauty foods (say what?) and
9. Energy shots (like it or not).

SO WHAT?

So what indeed! What does all this mean? Well, if it's important to you to uncover the every hidden secret locked in food then rest assured the scientists are working hard. If you are like the rest of us and just want to know what you can eat that you can really, really enjoy, and that won't kill you, or even better will stop this happening, then the message is perhaps a little simpler.

Yep, eat lots of colourful, varied food that is close to its biological origin, sprinkle with a serving of love and laughter and make sure you jiggle about a bit. Deconstruct, reconstruct, it's all the same really, good ole fashion real food with lots of pretty colours, that taste super yummy and fill the tummy and soul.

Laugh hard, live long
Leanne and the Team at Cadence Health
www.cadencehealth.com.au
02 9400 9759