Erica The answer is that it is far from being as "super" as advertised in marketing. Even the term "super food" itself is not an academic concept recognized by the global nutrition community. It is mostly a marketing gimmick created by food manufacturers.
When I was doing community dietary research with my friends from CDC two years ago, I met a young girl who had just graduated. The locker in her rental house was filled with nearly 2,000 yuan worth of imported superfoods: acai berry powder, maqui berry powder, chia seeds, and freeze-dried kale powder. She said she drank it mixed with yogurt every day. It has antioxidant and whitening properties and can also help you lose weight. As a result, I persisted for two months without losing any weight. My aunt even postponed it for half a month. In order to make up for the "super food fat-reducing meal", she only mixed a small bowl of these powders with quinoa at every meal. She didn't eat enough staple food, and the calorie gap was too big, which actually messed up the endocrine system.
Of course, this does not mean that these ingredients are completely without benefits. What many fitness bloggers and nutrition enthusiasts who pursue superfoods say are not entirely fabricated: the protein content of quinoa is indeed higher than that of rice, and it also contains lysine that ordinary grains lack. The vitamin K and beta-carotene content of kale is also several times higher than that of Chinese cabbage and lettuce. The omega-3 fatty acid content of chia seeds is also considered to be in the first echelon among plant foods.
But the problem is that talking about "super" without consumption and daily dietary structure is a rogue thing. If you want to get enough vitamin C for a day by eating kale, you have to eat two large handfuls of it raw. The astringent taste is mixed with the grassy smell, and most people will spit it out after chewing it for two times. If you are afraid that the astringency will be boiled, and most of the water-soluble vitamins will be lost, it is better to eat two navel oranges that cost 10 yuan a pound. Not to mention that many people buy the processed version ground into powder. A lot of non-dairy creamer and white sugar are added for seasoning. The sugar consumed is more than the active substance. It is good without gaining weight. Where does the super effect come from?
To put it bluntly, this term was first coined by European and American fruit and vegetable merchants at the end of the 20th century. They specially selected niche ingredients with remote origins and low local production, and added stories of "Amazon indigenous people have eaten them for generations" and "The secret of longevity in the Himalayas", and the price can directly increase more than ten times. The imported quinoa that just came into the country a few years ago can be sold for 70 or 80 yuan per kilogram. In the past two years, after large-scale planting in Yunnan, Qinghai and other places, you can pick it up for 20 yuan per kilogram, and it suddenly loses its sophistication.
Of course, there is no need to kill all these ingredients at once. If you usually eat takeout, which consists of polished rice and white noodles with heavy rapeseed, and almost no fresh whole grains and dark green vegetables, then occasionally add some quinoa, chia seeds, or a cup of kale. Blue powder can indeed supplement the nutrients you usually lack, but don’t believe the nonsense of “you can lose five pounds by eating it in a week” or “drinking it for a month to lighten spots and resist aging”. If it really has this effect, it has been used in clinical medicine for a long time. How can it be sold as snacks in live broadcast rooms? I came across a piece of news a while ago. In order to lose weight, a young man ate three tablespoons of chia seeds without drinking water. The seeds swelled directly in his intestines and caused intestinal obstruction. He had to go to the emergency room for an enema in the middle of the night. This is caused by excessive superstition about "super effects".
In fact, if we really want to talk about it, there are many overlooked "civilian super foods" around us: spinach, which costs three yuan a pound, has iron and beta carotene content that is not much worse than kale.； The amino acid profile of eggs that cost two yuan per pound is more in line with human body needs than quinoa. ； The vitamin C content of oranges costing a few yuan per pound is much higher than the water soaked in the famous Camu Camu powder. There are no god-level ingredients that are effective as soon as you eat them. Eating a balanced meal with meat and vegetables according to the dietary guidelines is much more "super" than spending a lot of money to buy imported super foods.
