Defining Superfoods
One of the problems when it comes to superfoods is actually defining a superfood. Since the term has come out people always use the term now for any food to just get attention. Type in superfoods in Google and you will come up with sites that have regular everyday fruits and vegetables listed as superfoods. I am talking about foods like apples, oranges, and broccoli. Nothing exotic, but people consider them super. This is not what I think of when it comes to superfoods. I think more along the line of medical mushrooms, certain herbs, goji berries, raw cacao, maca, etc... Foods that are more mysterious to us here in America, but are still possible to get a hold of. I feel that the term superfood is now being used to just get more people to eat fruit and vegetables for they do not freak out when they hear recommendations to be eating goji berries when they do not even eat apples. Whatever the reason just note when I refer to superfoods I am referring to more exotic fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and even seaweed.
Superfood Nutrition
The biggest question about superfoods is are they really super, and do we need to consume them? I find it funny that some people actually bash superfoods saying their is no difference, or the just eat regular fruit and vegetables defense. It is interesting we rank everything in America, but we do not rank are food in terms of nutrition. The Yankees are a good baseball team because they got a lot of good players(and money), but all fruit is considered equal even if some fruits have more nutrition then others. Superfoods in my opinion is just the ranking of certain foods in terms of vitamins and minerals, and then eating the foods that are the best. You can only eat so many foods in your life so why not eat the top foods? That is what a superfood nutrition motto would be.
Another interesting topic to discuss is are superfoods actually whole foods? We want to get our nutrition from whole foods as much as possible because their are many different chemicals in plants that we have not discovered or researched yet. So many people only pay attention to the big known vitamins and minerals like calcium and vitamin C. Those are important, but they are not the thing to worry about. Eating fruits and vegetables will get you plenty of all the main vitamins and minerals, but I want to try to get a wide variety of the other undiscovered stuff in plants. Most superfoods have been found to have lots and lots of different chemicals in them that are completely unknown.
Are Superfoods Needed For Optimal Health?
No. Just plain and simple. You can get to an amazing level of health and never eat a single cacao bean. Can they help you get to those levels faster? You bet. Are they an easy way to get a lot of nutrients. You bet. Most are minimally processed and contain tons of nutrients. I recommend that you find the superfood that works for you, and you like the taste.
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Greg Cook is a certified personal trainer that owns and operates Don't Stop Training
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