The truth about superfoods you need to know

The whole idea of superfoods is actually little vague. Yes, it is. Starting from the detail that it is actually probably a marketing-driven term to the fact that while the word is thrown about so much, and so arbitrarily in every conversation, not many people can actually define it right. Simply because there is no textbook definition for it.

But there is no doubt that the word and the concept is buzzing and how! I realised the full gravity of it when I did a Google search, and it threw up more results for the word superfoods than dieting.

This gives me hope that people are moving towards the right direction and thinking about the right stuff.

That’s because I believe and always have that when you begin putting the right food on the plate — and by right food I mean food that does something food for you — then calories take care of themselves and your weight issues get tackled on their own.

So basically when you think nutrition and not weight loss — you get both. Whereas when you think just weight loss, then you know what happens right — you lose some and then gain that back, and more!

This is where superfoods come in. In fact, we are as it is overfed, but our diet is inadequate. And superfoods help fill this gap. While like I have already mentioned there is no agreed definition and so very often the term is misused, it is still not that difficult to identify the actual superfoods.

Every food has some goodness inherent in it. But some foods deliver them en masse, in loads. They are so nutrient dense, that they are almost like a medication, a supplement (I won’t get started on supplements here as that’s a topic for another day and time).

So basically superfoods are foods that deliver concentrated — extra-large doses of vitamins and minerals — nutrients that are good for us. Here both nutrient density and diversity are essential to a food being called a “super”.

The richness of the nutrients in a food and the number of different nutrients help us to figure out if the food is super or not.

But don't stop just here. Besides regular nutrients like say B vitamins or calcium or protein, su-perfoods pack a punch of antioxidants and flavonoids too.

Any superfood worth the label is a rich source of phytonutrients (healthy chemical compounds that exist in plants), which help build immunity, extend life and prevent diseases from happening.

Some improve regenerative capacity of our brain and others cut down inflammation. For example oats contain beta-glucans, a substance proven to lower cholesterol, while garlic contains allicin, which can help immunity.

Pomegranate, for example, contains ellagitannins (ellagic acid), which have known anti-cancer properties and the omega 3 in salmon and the vitamin E in walnuts are forms  of gamma-tocopherol that is very heart protective. Plus this is not a static list, research keeps throwing up new informa-tion all the time, adding new foods to the list.

For example, studies now show that maple syrup contains a significant amount of phytohormones of the abscisic acid (ABA) family, a molecule that may help prevent the onset of insulin resistance (diabetes). So it helps to stay updated on the topic.

But there are rules to follow, to maximise the benefits. These are the 5 rules (according to me) that matter:

First you can’t compensate for a bad diet by eating one superfood a day. Like an entire medium pizza and then a sabja (basil seeds) lemonade.

No, it doesn't work like that. You need to fall in love with these superfoods, learn to pick them over other nutritionally vacant foods and make them an intrinsic part of your diet.

Also you can’t focus on just one or two superfoods and forget about others. No one food pro-vides everything for everybody. Variety is the key, as all foods are deliver different benefits. The sum of what you eat is more important than any individual food.

Thirdly, expensive and exotic is not always better. Quinoa is great for us and is fairly easily available now too, but indigenous buckwheat and amaranth are equally good options.

Similarly chia seeds are brilliant but then so are sabja seeds, which are more easily available. Kale works beautifully nutritionally, but there is no point in spending your entire life hunting for them when you can simply incorporate more spinach in your diet.

Also I believe information is the key: 100 gm of sweet potato with the skin will give you 8.5mg of beta carotene, which is more than what kale gives (5.9mg per 100g).

Similarly while blueberries are loaded with polyphenols (cancer preventers) but you can get the same compounds from seasonal berries and foods too, which are far cheaper. Jamun, phalsa raspberries, amla anyone?

It helps to combine two — three superfoods together to multiply the benefits. For example, sattu with coconut water makes the drink more potent. Along with high-quality protein from sattu, you get extra electrolytes and super hydration from coconut water.

Similarly, a sweet potato mash with grilled salmon makes a great combination too.

Finally, it is important to be aware of the form in which you are consuming the superfood. Often they are so processed that they are of no use to the body. Many kinds of super-juices — acai berry, noni fruit, pomegranate — can be high in added sugar, and barely have the superfood in it. So chuck those.

Stick to natural.