‘Superfoods’ not so super
DESPITE its often-quoted status as a ‘superfood’, quinoa isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
In 2007, the European Union prohibited the use of the term ‘superfoods’ in marketing. But the term is still used in Australia to describe foods whose nutritional value appears ideal.
Many exotic, foreign, or ‘ancient’ foods are referred to as having a higher nutritional benefit than other mainstream foods. This is not backed up with an authorised health claim or credible scientific research.
Typically, these foods are often introduced for the first time, or reintroduced, to the Western market. In order to sell, suppliers rely on the narrative that they are newly discovered, and further benefits are being uncovered, rather than their role in the recommended nutritional diet.
Emeritus Professor Caryl
Nowson, from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University, says superfoods are a figment of the marketing imagination.
“It is a ploy to get people to eat a range of new wholefoods,” she says.
“In many cases, they may be more expensive.”
Wholefoods are food products that have been processed or refined as little as possible. They are free from additives or other artificial substances, which is shorthand for being nutritionally beneficial. For instance, cracked wheat is an affordable wholegrain. The only processing it undergoes is milling, which breaks the grains into smaller pieces without stripping them of nutritional value.
Quinoa, on the other hand, is marketed as a superfood, and claimed to be nutritionally denser than other wholegrains.
Although it contains more protein than rice and pasta and is gluten-free, Prof Nowson says most people don’t need more protein in their diets, nor do they need gluten-free foods, unless they are gluten-intolerant.
According to Prof Nowson, most Australians are getting more protein than they need in their diets from different types of meat, fish, milk, cheese, lentils, peas and beans.
“The only significant group likely to be eating insufficient protein are the elderly, who have small appetites and are eating inadequate amounts of food,” she says.
Quinoa might be beneficial for one specific demographic, but that hardly makes it any more super than other protein-rich foods. The same can be said of other ‘exotic’ foods that claim to have a higher nutritional value than other foods.
“So-called ‘superfood’, kale, is a highly nutritious vegetable,” Prof Nowson says. “But so is spinach. Both can be equally beneficial to one’s health. There is no reason to eat more kale than spinach.”
Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on superfoods to magically fill the nutritional gaps in our everyday diets. Instead, Prof Nowson advises that we refer to the Australian Dietary Guidelines for everyday nutritional advice.
“The guidelines use the best available scientific evidence to provide information on the types and amounts of foods, food groups and dietary patterns that promote health and wellbeing,” she says. “These patterns can reduce the risk of diet-related conditions and chronic disease.”
She noted that certain overarching cultural dietary patterns may be worth investigating.
“There is some evidence that a Mediterranean dietary pattern that includes olive oil, nuts, less red meat and lots of fruit and vegetables is useful in preventing cardiovascular and heart disease, as well as reducing the risk of dementia,” she said. “This type of dietary pattern fits within the Australian Dietary Guidelines.”
More information: eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines