Ask Dr Miriam

QI keep hearing about superfoods. What are they? And should I be trying to eat lots of them?

ASuperfood is a fad word. They’ve been promoted by nutritionists because they’re a concentrated source of nutrients.

Many superfoods come and go as the fashion for them becomes popular then dies away and others take their place.

This really tells the whole story.

There are nutritious foods which we should eat all the time whether they’re in fashion or not. And it’s usually because they contain lots of essential vitamins, essential minerals and powerful antioxidants which mop up free radicals (cancer causing and ageing) in the body. The foods that remain through fashion and fad are the ones to include in your diet, such as any dark green, leafy vegetables (antioxidants), any dark red fruit or vegetable (antioxidants), broccoli (calcium), nuts and seeds (omega 3s), bananas (potassium), and fish, particularly fatty fish (omega 3s, minerals).