Superfoods: What You Need to Know

By: Susan Brady
Published: Sunday, 22 June 2008

Much has been written lately about superfoods and your body's need for these vital ingredients. Even mainstream publications like Parade, the Sunday newspaper supplement, ran a one-page article about 6 superfoods. Despite this plethora of information, many people are still unclear on what a superfood is, how they affect the body, and how to change their diets to include them.

Superfoods are nutritional items that have one or more ingredients with a strong health benefit, such as boosting your immune system, reducing cholesterol, fighting cancer, or lowering your risk of heart disease. I'm sure you all remember your mother telling you that carrots were good for your vision, or grandma saying that you needed the iron in her creamed spinach; they were on the right track. But not all superfoods are fruits or vegetables, although the majority does have a close connection (olive oil and coconut milk come to mind). You won't have to hunt down superfoods in some obscure health food market on the edge of town; most are available at any grocery store, are easy to grow in your garden, and can be found on the menu at restaurants.

So, how do these superfoods work? Omega-3 fatty acids—found in fish, soy, and walnuts, among others—help to break up fat and plaque in our arteries, thereby lowering blood pressure. They can also improve the elasticity of the artery walls, meaning a reduced risk of hardening of the arteries, and the Omega-3s help lower cholesterol by reacting positively with lipoproteins. Anti-oxidants, consisting of vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene, protect cells from the damage by neutralizing free radicals, helping to thwart cancer, aging, and cardiovascular disease. Research isn't always so clear on how all superfoods work, but studies have certainly proven that they do work.

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