Today the competition to sell food is fierce. A simple jingle no longer moves the toothpaste or bananas off the shelf. Food manufacturers and marketers have extensive budgets to promote new and existing manufactured products and, until recently, little has been done to revolutionise fruits, vegetables and other whole foods.

The latest marketing tool is to reinvent the wheel and define a food as super. Some of these superfoods include cacao beans, açai, goji berries, macadamias, green tea, bee pollen, wild salmon, chia seeds and olive leaf extract.

There is no legislated definition for superfood and it umbrellas a whole host of different food items with unique qualities and nutritional capacities. Today’s colloquial definition is for a food product which has a high bioavailability of antioxidants and other nutritional compounds such as essential fatty acids.

Yet other sectors of the food industry have termed superfoods as functional foods, which are food items fortified with a compound such as a vitamin. An example is orange juice fortified with calcium. In academia, superfoods are sometimes used to describe energy dense foods, atypically confectionary or ‘junk food’.

One promise of a superfood is its bountiful array of antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and essential fatty acids. Looking at phytochemicals alone, there are over 5000 of them found in fruits and vegetables, and the complex behaviour of these is still not understood.

Scientific research suggests that it is the synergistic behaviour between the phytochemicals that produce protective effects against diseases such as cardiovascular disease or cancer. It is also not just one food item which will give you the health benefits but a variety and combination of phytochemicals present in more than one food.

Of course you would think that is not harmful to consume these foods, as they are all natural, whole foods. Generally the answer is yes. The problem lies when other non-superfoods are avoided or the superfoods are consumed in excess.

Examples of why this is a concern is firstly the nature of many superfoods is their energy density. Excess energy leads to weight gain and obesity. Secondly, a hardened drinker that justifies their 5pm fix of red wine due to its antioxidant levels is only kidding themselves.

The other non nutritional issue but environmental concern is the food miles travelled for us to eat these exotic products. Have you not noticed that many are from the Himalayas, China or Brazil?

Defining a food as super is confusing and relatively irresponsible as no one food is able to provide all essential nutrients. Unfortunately the boring truth is that a balanced, varied diet is the best one.

To spice it up with superfoods is fun, but as all foods, they should be eaten in moderation and not at the expense of non-superfoods. And really, aren’t all foods super?

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://hercanberra.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/amanda1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Amanda dos Santos is a Food Scientist come freelance writer whose background extends from produce importation to product development and nutritional information. She aims to dispel the myths surrounding food and the myriad contradictions around food science and nutrition. Her passion is for community nutrition and aims to become further involved once she completes her Masters in Nutrition. You can find more of Amanda’s writing at her blog Food Active.[/author_info] [/author]