Anyone into the whole super foods thing?

[Ns1]

Being from CA, I naturally have started eating acai bowls. There are usually tons of "superfood" toppings, but TBH I'm not sure if these are actually good for me or if it's just snake oil. The nutritional info looks decent, given I'm eating seeds/nuts/berries, but there seems to be a lot of BS on the interwebs. What say you, ATOT? If it matters, I'm using this as a meal replacement 5-6 times a week - I feel it's way better than what I'd be putting into my body otherwise (sandwiches, pizza, fried chicken...)

I'm referring to things like:
- hemp seeds
- chia seeds
- acai berries
- goji berries
- bee pollen
- cacao nibs

typical bowl pre-stuff:

typical bowl post-stuff:

 

[hightree]

1. Acai berry (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health):

Quote: "There is no definitive scientific evidence based on studies in humans to support the use of acai berry for any health-related purpose."

2. Chia seeds (WebMD)

Insufficient evidence, possibly ineffective...

3. Bee pollen (WebMD)

Possibly ineffective, insufficient evidence...

I don't expect much from other foods mentioned.

 

[Ns1]

^^

If you look at the nutritional information...

Bee Pollen:

Goji Berries

Acai Powder:

Chia Seeds

Hemp seed:

 

[FeuerFrei]

I can attest that chia seed is a very good anti-inflammatory. Also good for quelling appetite.

 

[SlitheryDee]

As a general adherent to an IIFYM style of diet, i've largely disregarded superfoods as a whole as anything I needed to concern myself with. Not that I don't think they're healthy, just that I was getting everything I wanted out of what I was eating and didn't see the need for it. I wouldn't even comment on this thread if I hadn't recently read an article on the subject that made me laugh:

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/superfoods/

Excerpt:

The second point I’d like to make involves just how not-super these supposed superfoods really are, even the ones that contain all of the amazing “healthy” nutrients they are supposed to contain.

To make this point, let me tell you about a very short email exchange I had with someone years ago.

This was back when the acai berry was first gaining popularity as the newest most amazing miracle food on Earth.

In trying to convince me that this was a food that EVERYONE NEEDED TO EAT if they wanted to be as healthy as possible, this person went on and on about how high the acai berry is in antioxidants.

This, of course, is true. The acai berry IS high in antioxidants.

“But do you know what else is high in antioxidants?” I asked.

“Every other f*****g berry.”

And damn near every other fruit and vegetable. And nut and seed. And bean and egg.

The same could be said for [insert any other vitamin, mineral or micronutrient] in [insert any other superfood].

“Wow!! Did you know Superfood X contains a lot of Nutrient Z?!? It’s so amazing!!”

Yes it is, until you realize that a hundred other foods do as well. And so do thousands of combinations of other foods.

There is never anything remotely special about the one food some idiot writer decided to put on their useless list, except for the fact that this was the one food this idiot writer decided to put on their useless list.

All that said. I'm not saying you shouldn't eat so-called "superfoods" They're probably a ton better than a cheeseburger and fries would be for you. Just don't expect miraculous results or anything.

 

[Ns1]

They're probably a ton better than a cheeseburger and fries would be for you.

This is where my expectations lie - healthier than what I'm doing right now, but I'm not expecting it to cure cancer.

 

[smackababy]

I eat, well not eat really, but consume a good amount of chia seeds. I put them in water for about 10 minutes, mix in some lemon juice and drink it.

 

[Kaido]

I consider all whole foods to be super foods. IIFYM + a (largely) whole foods diet = teh win.

You're eating a bowl of fruit & oats. That's pretty dang healthy compared to fried chicken.

 

[lxskllr]

Looks like a healthy meal. I don't think you'll get much over and above "healthy meal", but that's alright if you enjoy it. Acai tastes like soap to me.

 

[hightree]

"Superfoods" is a pure commercial term, not a medical or scientific term in any sense. They call them superfoods because they contain a bit more of certain nutrients (but not others) as other usual foods. But as mentioned above, if you eat some widely available (and much cheaper) whole-grain foods, vegetables and other normal foods you can get more than enough of all nutrients you need.

To be healthy, you do not need "a lot" of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, you just needs them enough.