EVERYONE has heard of the good old saying, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. It’s a phrase that suggests that apples were perhaps the first to be labelled as a “superfood” long before that term became popular.
The most important thing, though, is whether eating something like kale four times a week really does support your bone health. Or did someone just pull off the greatest marketing campaign ever?
Food and nutrition expert, Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot from UNSW School of Chemical Engineering, said the term superfoods is sometimes thrown around loosely by ‘lifestyle gurus’. While there is no universally agreed definition for “superfoods”, there is an appreciation of the health benefits due to the presence of bioactive substances and compounds found in them.
“Scientifically, there is no such thing as a superfood – they’re basically referring to nutrient-rich foods or compounds that have properties that can impact health – but with a noticeable label,” associate professor Arcot says. “However, the term can unfortunately mislead people into thinking that certain foods have incredible nutritional and health properties and consuming them can solve every health problem.
Long ago, before the term ‘superfoods’ became trendy, the phrase ‘functional foods’ was used in the food and health community.
Functional foods are used in the context of foods that are beneficial physiologically, and are likely to reduce the risk for disease development due to the addition or removal of certain nutrients. Later, the term “superfoods” was introduced to describe foods with targeted health benefits. However, Assoc Prof Arcot says every food can be classified as functional – since they all have some effect on the body.
Kale is probably one of the most common foods mentioned when superfoods are spruiked.
While several studies have shown that kale contains antioxidant and anticarcinogenic potential, there is still a lack of literature evidence to conclude that consuming kale provides more health benefits than other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower.
Assoc Prof Arcot says we need to pay close attention to the nutritional profile of the food to determine whether it’s the right fit for the health concern we’re addressing.
“For example, the Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan which includes foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and seafoods, and is believed to support brain function and promote heart health,” she says.
Assoc Prof Arcot says the compounds found in some foods have the potential to prevent or delay the onset of some chronic illnesses, such as coronary heart disease – which have underlying inflammatory reactions in the body.
“Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and cranberries are a nutritional powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants and while these properties may address inflammation, they cannot be called superfoods as randomised control trials are needed to assess their efficacy in reducing inflammation.”
