Why Superfoods Suck

I still remember browsing for spices in the grocery store 2 years ago when I overheard a concerned and overweight couple (mid 50s).  They were searching for turmeric.  I over heard them say "we hear it's really good for you" to the market employee as they painfully walked down the aisle.  

Studies have been done on turmeric and its effect on diabetes.  I assumed the couple was struggling with their health and were hoping turmeric was going to help them feel better. Unfortunately, the advertising of superfoods such as turmeric, Maca Powder and goji berries etc. can be quite misleading and here's why...

If you're unhealthy or overweight and all you do is add a superfood to your regular diet, it's highly unlikely that any physical positive change are going to come from that, especially if you're eating the standard American diet (SAD!).  What is for certain however, is that if your whole diet shifts away from one that is mostly made of processed, refined foods and animal foods (like most Americans eat), to a diet comprised of at least 90% whole, plant foods, you're health is going to improve significantly and quickly.

For example, if all you do is add a tsp of turmeric to your diet or a tbsp of maca powder, that's not going to cut it compared to eating fruit and oatmeal every morning, veggie pasta with bread and a salad for lunch and a rice and bean burrito with salsa and guacamole for dinner.  And for dessert?  Yes of course, banana ice-cream! 

You could lose 1-3 pounds per week and reduce or eliminate cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication, insulin and other medications within one month by switching the totality of your diet to a whole foods, plant-based diet without superfoods!  

I'm not trying to say these individual superfoods aren't high in nutrition and aren't very healthy… they are!  And if you're eating them, don't stop!  It's not the superfoods themselves that I don't like, but the concept of superfoods is what sucks, or rather, what's misleading.  

Many people believe these superfoods will save them.  Superfoods are another 'magic bullet', reductionist, solution to a wholistic (yes, purposely spelled with a 'w') problem - the entire American diet. 

Take Control Now

What did you learn from this episode?  Have you ever been sucked into the 'superfood' trap?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.  Thanks for watching (or reading!).  See you next Tuesday!