What Does It Take to Be a Super Food?
Every time you read a new health article or turn on the television you seem to hear something about some new health benefit of the latest and greatest super food. But what exactly does it take for a food to be declared, “super” in the first place? And why is it so important to include these super foods in your daily diet?
The term super food is used to describe single foods that are extremely rich in vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemcials, and other nutrients. Unfortunately the dietary and nutritional industries have yet to concur on an exact, official definition of a super food. So as to date, there is not a set standard for how many of these vitamins and nutrients are required in a single whole food in order to be qualified as a super food; however, it is a general consensus that a super food must be rich in a variety of multiple nutrients in order to qualify. Because of this great concentration of vitamins and other nutrients these super foods often have a wide range of health benefits and add to your over all health as well as help to address specific issues such as lowering blood pressure, preventing heart disease, and protecting the body from the harmful effects of free radicals released by the body when food is broken down into energy.
Although a lot of those items listed as super foods tend to be fruits, there are a wide range of foods in this category including nuts and vegetables. Some of the more well known super foods include cranberries, blueberries, papaya, goji berries (wolf berries), Sea Kelp (blue green algae), walnuts, tomatoes, avocados, almonds, mango, acai, oatmeal, spinach, broccoli, black currents, soy beans, raspberries, garlic, honey, and even chocolate when it is rich in cocoa.
A lot of research is being done into these super foods and their ability to aid everything from preventing heart disease and boosting your immune system to easing morning sickness. Including as many of these super foods in your diet as possible is all a part of having the healthy, well balanced nutrition that will improve your health and vitality.
