The supremacy of superfoods

Superfoods are becoming a popular diet style across the globe due to their particular health claims, presenting an interesting option to fight against food insecurity.

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NEW DELHI: Superfoods are becoming a popular diet style across the globe due to their particular health claims, presenting an interesting option to fight against food insecurity. These started gaining popularity due to their array of nutrients, which actually make a difference in enhancing health and other physical features such as hair and skin.

What are superfoods?
Superfoods are foods that can provide nutrients in high quantities and play an important role in diets and contribute to the proper operation of the body (as per AESAN, 2019). Superfoods are a great option to improve overall health, boosting the production of serotonin and other hormones, and promoting the smooth operation of organic systems of the human body.

These foods have a good bioavailability (measure of absorbed protein) and have an impeccable amount of nutrients and bioactive substances.

Examples of superfoods

• Fruits: Goji berry, acai berry, pomegranate, blackberry, avocado, passion fruit, mangosteen, jackfruit, dragon fruit, etc.
• Nuts and seeds: Chia, flax, hemp and carob seeds
• Grains: Buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, cocoa, oats
• Roots and tubers: Ginger, ginseng, yam, chicory root, ashwagandha
• Vegetables: Kale
• Herbs and spices: Matcha tea, moringa, and turmeric
• Others: Pollen, Spirulina, Chlorella

Why should one consume certain superfoods?
Consumed on a regular basis as part of a diet, superfoods present health benefits, reducing the risk of diseases, and beneficially affecting target functions beyond the basic nutritional needs. They are also associated with nutraceuticals that are described as a food or part of a food that provides medical benefits, including prevention and/or treatment of disease. Superfoods help restore health, enhance function, and reduce risk.

What should one check before purchasing these?
It is important that superfoods are defined and have their own legislation in terms of requirements or labelling, such as ‘eco’ or ‘bio’ products, which are governed by the Regulation (EU) 2018/484, on ecological production—it states that a product can only be advertised as organic or bio when at least 95% of the ingredients come from ecological production.

Depending on the superfood, the benefits provided to the organism are various and diverse. These healthy properties are associated with the content of specific components.

• Fruits: Generally, the so-called ‘superfruits’ are deemed ‘super’ by nutritional scientists due to their extremely high levels of antioxidants (carotenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds), fibre, vitamins (especially ascorbic acid or vitamin C), and minerals.
• Grains: With regard to grains, both cereals and pseudo-cereals are attracting attention as new food sources mainly due to the quality and nutritional value of their proteins, fibre, phytochemicals, and minerals profile. Quinoa (14.1g of protein/100g), amaranth (13.6/100g), oats (16.9/100g), and buckwheat (13.2/100g) highlight for their high protein content, larger than traditional cereals. Specifically, quinoa, which is usually compared with rice, exhibits important advantages from a nutritional perspective; its fibre content is significantly larger (7g vs 0.2g/100g), and all minerals are available in greater quantities as well as bioactive compounds and most vitamins. Oats, amaranth, and buckwheat have outstanding mineral and vitamin profiles, especially potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iron and B complex vitamins.
• Legumes, nuts, and seeds: They are considered a good substitute for animal-derived products—meat, fish, and eggs since they are rich sources of protein, fibre, and vitamins. Hemp, chia, and flax seeds are high in protein, fibre and minerals.
• Herbs and spices: Turmeric is the most complete superfood of this classification, presenting desirable amounts of fibre, carbohydrates, all minerals, and part of vitamins.
• Others like Bee Pollen and Algae: Bee pollen is an important source of macronutrients, containing 17.4g of protein/100g, and a great amount of minerals and significant phytochemicals). Regarding algae products—spirulina and chlorella (dried)—are known for a great percentage of protein.

Sadhvika Srinivas @sadhvikaaa (dietitiansadhvika@gmail.com)