Are Superfoods the Wrong Area to Focus?

Superfoods, antioxidants, probiotics, collagen…you name it.

There are no shortage of foods dressed up within alluring marketing programs. Nearly all exist to convince you a certain food product is worth buying or eating. With so many claims shoved in your face, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, sorting out what is garbage or worthwhile.

One topic is superfoods, and just how great they are. But is there any magic behind them? Better yet, are they really the cure to a laundry list of problems?

Where Should the Focus Be?

In short, superfoods are not magical, nor a “cure” for anything. I still, however, consider them generally good for our health.

The difference is in the approach. Marketers are clever. They find catchy terms and packages to sell their products. All fine and well if the product truly is healthy.

At the same time, many simply default to what they see or hear. In the case of superfoods, many consumers are left with the idea they should add more superfoods to their diet. Technically there’s nothing wrong with that, but it ignores a far more important conversation. A conversation about poor diets, lifestyle, and energy balance (calories in, calories out).

Energy Balance Above All Else

You can add all the superfoods you want to your diet, but if your diet and lifestyle are crap to begin with, you’re wasting your efforts. You have to remove the bad before adding the good.

Let’s set up an example:

George is 45 years old, 80 pounds overweight, and diabetic. One day he hears on the news these dazzling superfoods provide healthy nutrients and antioxidants that boost health. Looking to improve his health, George starts adding kale, avocados, and other superfoods to his diet.

Finally he’s found a “fix” for his weight and diabetes…or so he thinks. Months later, George notices neither his health or weight are improving.

Wrong Plan of Attack

So what happened? Is this proof superfoods are bogus? Not likely.

First we must look at diet and lifestyle: In this case, George eats the Standard American Diet (SAD), doesn’t exercise, and sleeps 6 hours a night. When he heard about superfoods, that became his focus. Unfortunately this meant issues like his diet, activity level, and sleep remained on the backburner.

Lifestyle has a major impact on our health. It’s foolish to simply add 2 or 3 nutritious foods without fixing our lifestyle and expect substantial changes in health. The benefits of removing junk food, getting exercise, and improving sleep far outweigh a few minor dietary additions.

Energy balance becomes an issue as well: George became 80 pounds overweight because of an energy imbalance, i.e. he consumes way more calories than he burns. There are a few fixes. Burn more calories (exercise), or reduce caloric intake (eat less). George simply added superfoods, but didn’t adjust his diet or activity levels accordingly. This actually created a larger energy imbalance, preventing weight loss.

Takeaway

Should you still eat “superfoods”? Of course. They are highly nutritious and have plenty of benefits.

But there’s a catch… Consume them in place of junk food, not in addition to.

Most importantly, if the rest of your lifestyle is a hot mess, don’t expect a couple vegetables to drastically change your situation. Fix the lifestyle first. Cut the junk food, get more exercise, and get adequate sleep.

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Image by Monika Baechler from Pixabay