Superfoods: Are they really any better?
By Aya Kadaf
The term “superfood” has become increasingly popular these last few years, taking both social media and grocery stores by storm. Potent in a multitude of beneficial vitamins and phytochemicals, more so than common fresh foods, superfoods have become one of the media’s most popular food trends. Examples of these heroic foods include papaya, turmeric and spirulina powder to name just a few.
But do these items truly make a greater health impact compared to seemingly normal American grocery products?
I decided to check out local grocery stores in the city of Dearborn to see if these ‘enhanced’ foods exist on store shelves nearby. I also wanted to check out the pricing of these goods to draw comparisons between them and foods that are advertised as having more average levels of nutritional benefit.
Perusing the digital shelves on Dearborn’s Target and Better Health Markets’ websites, I found a variety of products with either a “superfood” label smacked right on them or an implied functional benefit trying to be brought across. For example, goji berries, a recently popularized superfood praised for its high vitamin A (beta-carotene) content. A 4-ounce bag of organic dried goji berries is $7.69 on Target’s website and $10.49 at Better Health Market.
On the other hand, a 12-ounce bag of organic baby carrots is $2.29 at Target and $3.49 at Better Health. The goji berries are over twice as expensive for a third of what you could get from the baby carrots. Not only are you getting more carrots for less of the price, you are inevitably consuming more nutrients overall due to its higher versatility.
Another superfood that seemed to stand out as a cure-all was spirulina, a microalgae cultivated commercially across the world and then turned into the distinctly blue powder found on many shelves. Spirulina is praised for, according to an article by Izabela Podgórska-Kryszczuk of the National Library of Medicine, “its high content of complete protein and minerals such as iron and calcium.” She also outlines the multitude of various minerals found within this algae.
The article also states that though potent in many nutrients, most commercial spirulina is cultivated in countries outside the United States and must be imported. This raises the overall cost of the product before it even reaches the shelves. A 2-ounce bag of organic spirulina powder is $21.99 at Target in Dearborn and, for a 1.06-ounce bag, $20.49 at Better Health. For its price and labor needed to implement the powder into a recipe, it may just not be worth it in the name of being a superfood.
“Superfood” does not only refer to food. From green powders to detox capsules that claim to cleanse the entire system, it’s safe to say that the term superfood refers less to an actual criterion for a product and more to a marketing tactic designed to entice customers with the notion that this one product will cure a particular problem.
But the reality is that no one food is going to make up for an unhealthy diet. Companies play on the obsession with quick fixes and instant optimizations in order to project this idea that consuming the product they advertise every day will solve the problems caused by a plethora of daily habits that contribute to our lifestyle including exercising, eating well and maintaining a healthy mind.
However, this does not rule out the fact that these products can aid you. When part of a balanced diet that includes some of these items, superfoods can contribute their nutritional value in a beneficial way. In an article by Michele Wojciechowski published by the Mayo Clinic Press on the true impacts of superfoods, we are advised to “eat the rainbow,” meaning eat a variety of wholesome foods, not just the ones that are marketed as able to solve countless issues.
Superfoods can also play a role in building healthy food choice habits that, over time, culminate into a healthier lifestyle. If higher pricing is less of a concern, incorporating these products can provide some support, as long as they do not become a crutch.
So the next time a product seems too good to be true, allow your inner skeptic to act before you purchase. This simple move can make a world of a difference for both your health and wallet.
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