[Exploring Life] What is the definition of superfood? Currently there is no specific agreement on what the specific qualities and characteristics of a superfood are. At the same time, it is obvious that some types of food must have specific nutritional benefits that other types of food do not have. The promise of superfoods seems to originate in the belief that eating foods that are deemed to be rich in various nutrients are not only beneficial to our health, but also may be a form of natural medicine, or nutriceutical, that also possess medicinal benefits. The strength of this belief lies in a combination of scientific evidence and anthropological studies that reveal a low incidence of disease in specific communities. The hope of superfoods is in the potential to change our basic assumptions about food in order to harmonize our eating habits with principles of health, wellness, and healing.
Definitions of Superfood
The following definitions provide a foundation for building an understanding of superfoods:
- Any food supposed to confer remarkable health benefits. [1] This definition serves to elevate specific kinds of food deemed a superfood to having more significant nutritional benefits than others. The definition does not help us to classify a food type as being a superfood or not. (Wikitionary 2009)
- Superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that some may believe confers health benefits as a result. [2] This definition leads us toward identifying foods that possess a high level of phytonutrient (chemical compounds naturally occurring in plants) as being a superfood, though the specific nature of the phytonutrient content as well as what precisely constitutes a high level is not indicated. (Wikipedia 2009)
- Superfoods are both a food and medicine; they have elements of both. They are a class of the most potent, super-concentrated, and nutrient-rich foods on the planet… Superfoods meet and exceed all our protein requirements, our vitamin and mineral requirements, glyconutrient requirements, essential fatty acid requirements, immune system requirements, as so much more. (Wolfe 2009) [3] This definition equates a superfood with plants that confer the greatest health benefits on the planet.
- A true definition of the word Superfood, would apply only to products with a high nutritional density and those that have sufficiently high levels of phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins. True Superfoods should also be sourced ethically and sustainably, taking into account the environment and all living things and I wouldn’t consider a food a true Superfood unless it was either organic or wild-crafted. This means that no pesticides or agrochemicals have been used, they should also be packaged in environmentally sound packaging.
- Finally, true Superfoods food should have a history of therapeutic or functional use… have been utilized by their indigenous communities for literally hundreds of years. Due to the symbiotic relationship between plants and humans, that has evolved over millions of years… are also easily assimilated by the human body. This ease of absorption is an important point which should also be incorporated into any definition. [4] This definition extends the meaning of superfood to include: a) ethical and sustainable food sources; b) organic and wild-crafted plants; c) a history of functional use in various cultural contexts; and d) ease of absorption into the human body. In this sense a definition of a superfood must include its origins, historical, and cultural context, not merely its nutrient value.
What is Superfood?: Superfood is first and foremost an emerging concept that may have very significant potential benefit to our health and well being. As an emerging concept we must accept that some confusion is merely a natural outcome of an idea that is in the very early stages of its development. The concept itself must be given life through a form of connected intelligence. In other words, nutritional science alone cannot provide a comprehensive definition and system of classification. To fully expand the concept requires the creative insight of historians, cultural anthropologists, and spiritual leaders (e.g. shamans) from the indigenous cultures themselves. I believe that it is the historical and cultural side of the definition that needs to be given the greatest amount of attention, while nutritional science will eventually catch up.
Potential Roadblocks: There are a number of detrimental influences to the full emergence of a vibrant conception of superfoods. Since our society is largely focused on materialism and commercial profit, those corporations that stand to lose from the adoption of superfoods will succumb to their deep levels of insecurity and launch a counter-offensive. For example, pharmaceutical companies, or what is often referred to as Big Pharma, will attempt to block and denigrate the emergence and adoption of superfoods. Since these companies are often linked to and have significant material influence over government organizations such as Health Canada and the FDA, we cannot trust our government to openly and creatively participate in the emergence of superfoods.
Consumer Responsibility: The average consumer cannot merely rely on government agencies and corporations to do what is right and therefore must take the responsibility for educating themselves about what they should, and what they should not eat. If they fail to assume this responsibility, for whatever reason, then they risk their own health and well being. Educational and academic researchers can also embark on research projects that reveal the deeper nature of superfoods and make this information public. In additional, a new breed of medical doctors immersed in functional medicine [5] also seem to be providing a new system of support for superfoods and medicinal herbs. [6]
Applying the Current Definition of a Superfood
How can the average person determine if a food is a superfood or not? How do we know with some degree of certainty that the benefits being assigned to specific superfoods are in fact real?
Is an organic blueberry a superfood?: I could not find a definition or description of superfood that would empower me to determine for myself whether or not, for example, an organic blueberry was a superfood or not. [7] In addition, searching for a list of ideal superfoods is a hopeless task that involves sifting through thousands of lists each claiming to identify key superfoods. [8] In all cases, there is no precise information or evidence that a food is super.
This should not, however, lead to the judgement that superfoods do not exist or can never be defined with any degree of precision. It is simply a reflection of the fact that the concept of a superfood is still in its early stages of emergence, therefore, confusion is a natural and normal outcome. However, one of the more mercurial problems is that is seems as though anyone can lay claim to being an expert in superfoods.
Smoothies: For example, the simply idea of making a smoothie rich in superfoods has gained significant attention, yet most of the information is limited to what ingredients to use. The idea is appealing in that one smoothie per day can provide a very significant amount of nutrition. Often these ingredients are a collection of various superfoods including bee pollen, hemp seed, blue-green algae, cacoa, cacoa nibs, maca, coconut water/oil/milk, aloe vera, and goji berries mixed with a base fluid and berries or greens. There are a number of questions that arise from this practice however:
- What specific ingredients should be combined in a smoothie and why?
- All food has interactive properties. How do these various combinations of superfoods combined in a single smoothie react in physiological terms? What are the effects of this interaction in human terms?
- Is it possible to “overdose” on superfoods?
- What evidence is there to support demonstrations of smoothie recipes that seem to thoughtlessly combine superfoods under the assumption that more is better. [9]
- What are the specific long term effects of superfood smoothies on our health and well being?
- Is it enough to simply identify superfoods from various parts of the world, bring them into our homes, and begin eating them in various combinations and recipes?
- Can anyone with a blender and bags of superfoods offer advice to others about how to use superfoods?
- Should we be relying more on naturopathic and functional medicine advocates for advice?
The questions above do not deter from the potential value of superfoods in our lives, however, these questions and many others must be addressed in order for the concept of a superfood to mature and gain credibility supported by concrete and observable evidence.
Evolving the Definition of Superfoods
Mapping Our Assumptions: A definition always embraces a set of assumptions. When we assume something without fully testing it in the light of evidence and experience we face the possibility of making significant mistakes. In the case of superfoods, one potential mistake lies in the adoption a dietary regime rich in proposed superfoods that, over the long term, may not have the intended outcome we assumed it would. Ultimately each of us must make the most informed decision possible. Some of the more important assumptions I see in the emergence of superfoods are:
- Natural, whole, non-GMO, organic plants are the most essential and beneficial type of food on the planet;
- Processed, refined, and otherwise human-manipulated food products are not, in fact, not food in any meaningful sense the word. To call these products food is a marketing deception, not a reality;
- There are specific plant-based foods that are significantly richer in nutrients than others. In other words, some foods are more essential to health and healing than others;
- Historical and cultural experience with natural plant-based foods is at least as important in understanding the value of a superfood as is the perspective of nutritional science;
- Corporations that stand to lose profitability by the mass adoption of superfoods as a fundamental source of nutrition and medicine will oppose the development of superfoods. These corporations, for example, include the pharmaceutical industry and the vitamin pill-making industry;
- Agri-business invested in GMO development and chemical intervention in the growth of crops will oppose the development of superfoods, since a superfood is by default one that originates naturally in the earth;
- Locally grown organic non-GMO crops are a significantly better source of nutrition than fruits and vegetables purchased in a grocery store. Human health is therefore dependent on the rise of a consumerism that purchases food directly from trusted local farmers;
- Indigienous cultures, less advanced in allopathic medical technology have as much, if not more, to offer health and medicine. Cultural bias and ignorance is therefore a potentially significant roadblock to the adoption of food as medicine;
- Educational systems must address health and well being in holistic terms. It should be mandated that all schools must without exception teach the weaknesses and deficiencies in our food supply. More importantly they must constantly teach new and emerging ideas about food so that students emerge from their schooling with a strong foundation in making informed choices about the food they eat;
- Eating organic, non-GMO, chemically free, natural,locally-produced whole food must become a universal human right with powers that over-ride corporate mandates and government subversion.
Importance: The superfood movement is not merely a movement focused on defining a specific class of food, though this is an important goal. It is a movement about the cultural transformation of our beliefs and traditions surrounding the complex relationships and interconnections that exist between food, the survival of the earth, human health and well-being, medicine and medical intervention, and ethical corporate and government initiatives.
Notes
- Wikitionary: Superfood.
- Wikipedia: Superfood.
- Wolfe, David. Superfoods, 2009.
- Are Your Superfoods Truly Super? Free Press Release, Jan 28, 2009.
- The Institute of Functional Medicine defines functional medicine as a form of personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease.
- For example, Dr. Mark Hyman is a strong advocate of functional medicine.
- For example, a Google search on the phrase is a blueberry a superfood? reveals a list of 200,000+ links to sites that commonly make the claim that a blueberry is a superfood. Unfortunately, there is no precise evidence that supports the claim one way or another.
- For example, a Google search on the phrase list of superfoods reveals a list of 350,000+ entries and a seemingly insurmountable number of opinions of what an ideal superfood or list of superfoods is.
- Though the intent of this video is obviously good, it does raise questions about combining superfood elements in what seem to be a haphazard manner guided by the underlying assumption that more is better.
