The buzz about ‘superfoods’ comes in cycles. They are said to be nutrient powerhouses that pack large doses of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and come with minimal calories. Medical News Today highlights their potential in delivering a health kick due to their rich content.
Antioxidants found in these superfoods are touted for their ability to combat the damaging effects of free radicals, which have been linked to a myriad of health problems including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke, respiratory diseases, and Parkinson’s disease. Yet, senior dietician Victoria Taylor cautions against seeing any single food as a magic bullet for health, as noted by The Mirror.
In conversation with the British Heart Foundation, she said: “Superfood is a marketing term created to help sell products. To protect consumers, UK legislation now prohibits the use of this term on food packaging, unless there’s research that proves it can make a difference to health.
“It’s still often used in the media, describing anything from broccoli and beetroot to bee pollen or green powders. These can be used as ingredients in products to make them sound healthy, but don’t be fooled.
“Whether they contain a ‘superfood’ or not, sweets, bars, crisps and drinks usually come with added fat, sugar and salt. They may not contain enough or the right form of the ‘super’ ingredient, to make any difference.”
The mania for ‘superfoods’ is on the rise, with TikTok searches for the buzzword soaring by 123% just in the first few months of the year. Yet, specialists are now weighing in on the frenzy, reports Surrey Live.
Brainworks Neurotherapy food experts, highlighted by Victoria, have flagged several misconceptions about these popular foods and offered advice on which nutritious items should truly make it into our daily meals.
Avocados
Avocados have taken TikTok by storm, racking up an astonishing 9.2 billion views. Avocado enthusiasts on the app frequently praise the fruit’s brain-enhancing properties due to its vitamin E content.
Nutritional therapist Caroline Hind, from Nutrable, recognises avocados’ positive attributes but stresses that they aren’t the sole source for good brain health: “It is ‘true’, but avocado isn’t essential for brain health. Eating a variety of nuts, seeds and green vegetables can meet the body’s vitamin E needs and also provide the brain-supporting B vitamins that are also found in avocado.”
Matcha
The coffee scene has been revolutionised by matcha, the finely ground, striking green tea powder, which has also found fame in social media culinary communities. Proponents promote matcha for its L-theaninean amino acid believed to reduce stress, improve mood, and balance sleep patterns.
Brain health specialist James Roy from Brainworks Neurotherapy weighs in on the highly-debated distinction between matcha and standard green tea. He remarked: “While both matcha and regular green tea offer health benefits, matcha may have a slight edge due to its higher concentration of certain compounds and the fact that you consume the entire tea leaf.
“The combination of L-theanine and caffeine in matcha has been shown to have positive effects on brain function. However, the differences between matcha and green tea are not dramatic.”
Roy further acknowledged the value of conventional green tea, stating: “Regular green tea offers many of the same cognitive benefits due to its rich content of antioxidants, L-theanine, and caffeine, without the potential cost and preparation complexities associated with matcha.”
Açaí
Switching focus to acai berries, which often star in picturesque ‘Acai bowls’ peppering social media platforms, they’ve been lauded for their role in shielding against neurodegenerative illnesses and fostering memory augmentation. Despite popular beliefs, James elucidated: “Berry pigments (flavonoids) that give them their brilliant hues help improve memory and delay memory decline by two to three years. Two servings of blueberries per week will keep your flavonoid levels up.
“The specific ‘brain benefits’ of acai berries are the subject of ongoing research, and claims about their cognitive effects should be approached with caution.”
However, if you’re seeking methods to improve your brain health, it might be prudent to look beyond the latest ‘superfood’ trends on TikTok. James from Brainworks Neurotherapy has some alternative suggestions:
- Green, leafy vegetables: Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene which help keep you sharp and slow cognitive decline.
- Fatty fish: Fatty fish are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids which helps keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay. Try to eat some salmon, cod or canned light tuna at least twice per week.
- Berries: Berry pigments (flavonoids) that give them their brilliant hues help improve memory and delay memory decline by two to three years. Two servings of blueberries per week will keep your flavonoid levels up.
- Tea and coffee: Caffeine offers more than just a short-term concentration boost, it can help with alertness over the long-term and actually helps solidify new memories. A cup or two in the morning can be quite helpful.
- Walnuts: Nuts are high sources of protein and healthy fats. Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is good for both the heart and brain.