Deep Dive: "Superfoods"
“Superfoods.” I can almost guarantee that you’ve seen or heard this word before in magazines, commercials, news headlines, or maybe even a menu. Usually, it’s followed by a health claim and a promise of “more energy” or “healing properties.” What I can’t guarantee is what this word means to you, and that ambiguity is exactly what makes this word so powerful.
The term “superfood” first appeared sometime in the mid-20th century (apparently in a Canadian newspaper talking about a muffin...I’m not sure why I find that so funny). As it was back then, the term is used to simply characterize foods with a particularly high nutritional density. However, it’s very important to note that this is, in every aspect, just a marketing term, and doesn’t have to have any grounding in the actual properties of the food itself. Again, this is just a marketing term. Virtually every regulatory authority, as well as nearly every dietician, nutritional scientist and medical doctor recognize this word as one with no credible scientific basis or definition. In fact, the European Food Safety Authority has gone so far as to ban the use of the word on food packaging unless it could be supported by credible scientific evidence.
Ok, so, let’s just play into this marketing term for a moment to understand the playing field, because honestly it can be an enticing draw to see “superfood” on a product. When companies say “superfood”, what do they mean? Typically they’re referring to foods with a particularly high density of micronutrients (like vitamins and minerals), proteins, healthy fats, fiber, complex carbohydrates, or even antioxidants. I agree, that is a long list. With that many options to choose from, it seems like almost any food could be spun as a “superfood.” Examples that you may have come across might include salmon, blueberries, quinoa, or kale.
You might be asking yourself “but aren’t these foods all incredibly healthy (in moderation)? Salmon is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, blueberries are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, quinoa is high in protein, minerals, and complex carbohydrates, and kale is packed with vitamins and fiber! Those sound like superfoods to me!” To which we would reply “Well don’t you know an abnormal (but awesome) amount about the nutritional content of these foods... But also, you’re missing the point.”
Yes, a large number of these foods are in fact very healthy. But, the loose and imprecise terminology around “superfoods” brings up many potential issues for consumers and producers in our food system.
First and foremost, as we previously mentioned, this is not a regulated term (in the United States). Therefore, companies/restaurants/journalists are free to use these words as they please, regardless of if the food they’re referring to is actually nutritionally dense. So, if you decide to trust the label without actually knowing anything about the food itself, you might be guided by someone who means well but isn’t very knowledgeable, or worse yet, a company who is leveraging the power of this word to promote their non-nutritious product.
Second, this word in many cases can lead to a sort of classism, as well as a global imbalance of food availability and sourcing in countries around the world. When a food gets touted as a “superfood”, demand for something like acai can skyrocket as it climbs from a little-known food to the star of an Instagram photoshoot. Foods paired with the “superfood” marketing in grocery stores, commercial products, or even restaurants, are often up-charged as demand rises. Prices can be inflated due to the now heighten perceived value of these products/foods, which can make them economically inaccessible to many communities. For example, quinoa, a grain native to Bolivia, has become so popular in international markets due to its “superfood” quality, that the price in its homeland has increased to a point at which it is no longer economically viable for a massive population that used to rely on it. Beyond just eating quinoa for calories and nutrition, quinoa is an important crop for the cultural basis of most of their cooking and cultural livelihoods as well. By creating a massive market for quinoa in the US, we have priced out farmers in South America of their own food sovereignty.
Third, obsession with foods marked under this label can actually lead to an imbalanced diet. While the details of your nutritional intake may vary substantially from person to person, a baseline understanding of your food’s nutrition is vastly more important than your pursuit of foods that fall under these vague and glorified labels. Sticking to these kinds of labels might just veer you toward food that are “en vogue”, and not ones that are covering all of your nutritional needs! Keeping your diet widely diverse is not only healthier, but keeps your relationship with food more fun and dynamic.
Fourth, as a matter of principle...don’t let the marketers win! I’m not saying all marketers have ulterior motives or act with malice or negligence, but if something smells fishy, investigate! Learn about your food! Learn about the labels that often cover them! Talk to you food producers! A little effort on your end can save you money, save you time, and make you feel more in control of your diet. . (This article focuses mostly on the messy world of nutritional labeling, but check out our article about food labels to learn some more about “greenwashing” and the dirty business of trying to make products seem more sustainable than they are!)
So, if for some reason you skipped to the end of the article for a conclusion paragraph, then here you go: the term “superfoods” was invented by former President John F. Kennedy to distract the public from talks surrounding the supposedly staged moon landings... Just kidding. But actually, the term “superfoods” might refer to a variety of nutritionally dense foods, but the lack of scientific basis around the term can lead it to be overused/misused, can lead us to pay more for food simply because they’re under this classification, and can alienate communities from culturally important ingredients they once relied on. We encourage you to not rely on terms like these to guide your diet, but rather, to learn about your food on your own by researching, talking to producers, and trusting yourself when something doesn’t seem right.