Organic superfoods: do they live up to the hype?

What is a superfood?

While we may instinctively all feel like we know what a superfood is, the definition is actually quite vague.

The Cambridge dictionary describes a superfood as ‘a food that is considered to be very good for your health’.(1) Meanwhile, the folks over at Collins are a little more specific, stating that it’s ‘a food that contains many vitamins and other substances that are considered to be very good for your health.’(2)

Under these definitions, any food which has a positive effect on health and contains ‘many vitamins and other substances’ which are beneficial can be considered a superfood. This casts the net very wide.

However, the foods we commonly think of when we discuss superfoods are limited to a few specific types.

For instance, it’s more likely that you’ll consider açai and goji berries to be a superfood, rather than raspberries or strawberries. But we know that raspberries and strawberries have a positive effect on health and contain lots of healthy nutrients. So, why do some foods get the accolade of ‘superfood’ while others don’t?

Where does the term ‘superfood’ come from?

The answer to this question lies in the origins of the term ‘superfood’. It’s very important to note that the word was not invented by scientists or nutritionists; in fact, it was invented by marketers.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the very first superfood on record was actually a banana!(3)

The United Fruit Company came up with an advertising strategy to promote bananas in the early 20th century, claiming that they were cheap, widely available, easy to digest and full of good stuff.

Later on, scientists published literature (erroneously) linking eating bananas to curing celiac disease. The United Fruit Company picked up on these claims and added them to their advertising. And, naturally, the sales of bananas began to soar.

Regardless of the fact that bananas have been overtaken by other foods in the superfood race, it’s important to recognise that it is still marketers - rather than nutritionists - who frequently decide what is or isn’t a superfood.

Examples of superfoods

Here are some common superfoods you might recognise from the media or your local juice bar:

• Berries like açai and goji
• Algae products, such as spirulina or chlorella
• Maca
• Moringa
• ‘Supergrains’ such as quinoa or millet
• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Baobab
• Raw cacao

What makes superfoods so good for you?

Generally speaking, a food is designated a superfood for a few possible reasons.

1. It is exceptionally nutrient-dense (e.g. contains lots of vitamins) for its size
2. Or, it has been shown in scientific studies to have a potentially positive effect on disease
3. It contains lots of antioxidants
4. Alternatively, or in addition, it may contain other nutrients thought to be beneficial for health (for example, omega-3 fatty acids).

All of the above factors play a role in whether a food is good for you.

Does being organic make a difference?

The main benefit of choosing an organic product is that it has been grown and produced without the use of things like chemicals, pesticides, hormones and genetic modifications.

We always encourage you to choose organic when you can, because who wants to be consuming chemicals and substances like these if you can avoid them?

There’s also some evidence that organic foods can be more nutritious than conventionally produced ones, however the jury’s still out on this.(4)

The novelty factor

Nowadays, the label of ‘superfood’ is applied much more freely to lots of different foods. However, there’s also an element of novelty associated with modern day superfoods.

For instance, the most recent successful superfoods have all burst onto the scene as little-known and obscure berries, roots and shoots.

Consider the foods which have made the headlines in recent years: spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, kale; most of us would have had to Google these when we first heard of them to understand what they were.

This makes it easier to attach wild health claims to them. Indeed, an article published in the Journal of Consumer Culture noted that companies selling goji and açai berries use their place of origin - an ‘exotic, ‘untouched’ place’ - as part of the marketing strategy.(5)

In addition to this, they may quote studies where lower rates of disease in these locations have been observed.(5)

The implication to the unfamiliar consumer is clear: this single food will improve your health. And this is precisely where the problems start.

What is the controversy around organic superfoods?

There is little doubt that many of the foods designated as ‘superfoods’ are good for you. For instance, açai berries do indeed contain lots of antioxidants, which can help protect against diabetes and cardiovascular disease.(6)

So, what’s the issue?

The controversy around superfoods centres around two points:

1. The belief that one food can compensate for an overall healthy diet
2. The belief that food alone can prevent, treat or cure any disease.

Let’s take a look at these issues in depth.

Related reading

• Best healthy foods for an instant energy boost
• 5 Healthy living myths you need to know about