Seen this title anywhere lately? Well, I have! Whether its popular magazines, book titles, TV segments etc it seems that the Top 10-20 "super foods" are the nutrition topic of the moment.
Here's the thing, while many of these foods are good, even great for us, their "super-ness" doesn't hold a candle to some basic "super" nutrition concepts.
1) Blueberries, broccoli, quinoa, cabbage- yes they are super BUT if we aren't eating ORGANIC versions super just got served up with chemicals and less antioxidants than its ORGANIC cousin. So go organic with fresh and frozen and get the real benefits of these SUPER foods.
2) A Super-Sized Super Food eating occasion ain't So Super - ahh there we have it, everyone's least favorite health tip: portion control. If we take a super food and have super portions its superness goes away.
3) Super Foods - Are they Super in any Form? If a super food -- say a berry -- is super as is, what happens when we make it into a juice, a super fruit smoothie, a super fruit jelly bean (yes they exist), a super fruit leather, super fruit chewing gum -- you guessed it, they aren't so super any more.
And last, but most important, who says those not on the list aren't super? I think apples are super, and so are lentils, I think parsley is super, and so are its' song-mates: sage, rosemary and thyme...you get where I'm going with this. While naming a food 'super' focuses our attention on eating it - if we do so to the exclusion of all else Mama Nature created we lose out on nutrients, variety, the benefits of seasonality and more.
So be a super nutrition sleuth and read / eat beyond the lists of the super 10-20 this year.