There is a misconception that some foods are ‘special’. These foods are often termed “super foods” or “power foods”. They are marketed as the best without any explanation on the amounts to be eaten. Sometimes, they are made to appear as providing most or all nutrients the body needs.
Below are five examples of “super foods” you may have heard of. We outline the myths, truth and give our recommendation.
- Chocolate
Myth: – It prevents very low blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and stress.
Truth: Studies usually use cocoa, but chocolate is made up of cocoa and sugar. More evidence is needed to link chocolate to low blood pressure and evidence from research for heart diseases, cancer and stress is mostly inconclusive or not reliable.
Recommendation – A bar of chocolate does not only contain cocoa but sugar and fat (contributing factor for gaining weight), which we should be eating less. If you like chocolate, eat it sparingly – every now and then as part of your balanced diet.
- Green Tea
Myth: It boost weight loss, reduce cholesterol to combat cardiovascular disease, and prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Truth: The evidence to link green tea to cancer is not reliable and that for weight loss and Alzheimer, is insignificant and weak, respectively. The evidence for cholesterol is inconclusive.
Recommendation: one can still enjoy green tea in moderate amounts if you love green tea.
- Hibiscus juice (sobolo/bisarp drink)
Myth: It lowers blood pressure.
Truth: More evidence is needed.
Recommendation: The preparation of sobolo drink/bisarp, which is popular in Ghana and other African countries, usually involve the use of high quantity of sugar (contributing factor for gaining weight) to improve the taste. If you enjoy sobolo, substitute sugar for natural fruit juices to reduce sugar intake.
- Garlic
Myth: It fights against high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, colds, and some cancers.
Truth: The evidence linking garlic to high blood pressure, colds and cancer is insufficient and the evidence for cholesterol shows modest reduction.
Recommendation – Garlic is a good substitute for salt, helping you to reduce your salt intake, consequently reducing the risk of high blood pressure. Therefore, we recommend using garlic to improve the taste of your meal instead of salt if you enjoy garlic.
- Moringa
Myth: It fights and treats diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Truth: More robust studies is needed to establish its ability.
Recommendation: if you use moringa, do use in moderation.
The truth is, apart from breast milk, which contains almost all nutrients needed for a baby (the emphasis here is baby☺), no single food provides all nutrients needed by the body. While a food may be a good source of a specific nutrient needed by one or more organs of the body, we should bear in mind that the body does not function on only one or few organs but on many organs.
For the body to function properly, all its organs must be provided with most if not all nutrients. This can be achieved by eating a variety of foods in their right amounts and not just eating a few “super foods”. It becomes even more dangerous when we regularly eat these “super foods” above their recommended amounts as they might carry risks. So, instead of “super foods”, what we should eat is a “powerdiet”, a diet containing variety of foods in their right amounts.
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Written by: Irene Danquah, ANutr
Last page review: 23/12/2021
Next page review: 31/12/2024