Get Fit Slowly

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I have a lot that I want to say about SuperFoods–I feel like I could write a book about the book. My first post was meant to provide a brief introduction and based on some of the comments, it was probably a bit too brief. One reader commented the following:

Blueberries are a wonderful source of phytochemicals, true, but so are grapes, apples and other berries. Many phytochemicals (but not all) are antioxidants, so that is good… And why focus on just walnuts? Peanuts (actually legumes) are a wonderful source of protein and good fat; all forms of nuts are great, though Almonds are actually some of the *best*, nutrition-wise. This diet seems to hugely exclude other foods that have a wider array of nutrients, and so you would be limiting your intake of these other nutrients.

One of the points (that I should have mentioned earlier) of the Superfoods Rx is that the 14 superfoods all have substitutes called “sidekicks.” Sidekicks are beneficial for a number of reasons. Maybe you hate blueberries and refuse to eat them. That’s fine, eat other types of berries. The 14 superfoods listed were deemed to be the best of best, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat only those–go ahead and vary your diet.

What I really wanted to write about today are the guiding tenets of the SuperFoods Rx. The plan was designed to be a simple one that rests on several important principles:

Superfoods Rx is the “best diet in the world.”
The superfoods Rx guiding goal is to “identify the best, buy the best, and eat the best!” The research for this book can be broken down into two general categories: analysis of the diets of the “healthiest societies in the world”, and analysis of foods that were proven to reduce the amount of free radicals in the body.

It’s been argued that two of the healthiest societies on the planet are the people of Okinawa and the people of the Mediterranean. The people of these societies actually have similar diets on the nutrient level.

• They are primarily plant-based.
• They contain a number of protective substances (such as selenium, glutathione, resveratrol).
• They have a good balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
• They have high amounts of fiber, folate, antioxidants, vitamin C and  Vitamin E.

Dr Pratt analyzed these diets and identified foods that showed up repeatedly.  But he also contacted dietitians and food scientists from all over the world in an effort to identify which foods were proven to be the best health promoters.  After combining his two areas of research, the 14 categories of superfoods were announced.

Superfoods are whole foods.
Just what is a “whole food” anyway? There are many definitions of the word, but for the purposes of the superfoods diet, a whole food is one that “is unprocessed, or processed minimally and in such a way that none of their nutritional characteristics have been intentionally modified.” But why are whole foods important? Whole foods contain the precise balance between phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other substances. Since there hasn’t really been much research on the required amounts of these substances, it’s best to let nature provide them in the right amounts without us altering them in a processing factory. Theoretically, it is the balance between these chemicals that makes superfoods so effective at promoting health and fighting cancer. Supplements and processed foods have their place, but one shouldn’t rely on them to keep you totally healthy.

Superfoods Rx equals synergy
Food synergy is the ability of separate micronutrients found in the same food to work together, providing a health benefit that neither could provide without the other. There are many chemicals found naturally in food that we have little understanding of. Surely they play a role in nutrition and health. By eating a diet that contains as much whole foods as possible, you’re ensuring that your body can deal with these chemicals the way that nature intended.

Superfoods are simple; Superfoods are positive
Many diets fail because they’re too complicated. Superfoods is simple. Many diets fail because they concentrate on what you can’t do (a negative)–superfoods concentrates on what you can do ( a positive). The book is full of ideas about how you can incorporate these 14 foods into your diet every day. If you eat lots of superfoods, then don’t worry about the foods you eat that aren’t on the list. Eat well, get lots of exercise, and your body will pay you back in the long run.