Why This MD Wants Us To Do Away With Superfoods & Eat This Instead

There are millions of ways to eat well, it seems, but only one way to eat unhealthily: “And that’s the one that we have embraced in the U.S.,” Miller told us.

The heavily processed foods and cash crops like corn and soy that are so popular in this country speak to a food system that is divorced from its environment. And no matter how well-meaning, blanket lists of superfoods we should all be eating, regardless of where we live, do the same.

“We should stop embracing the idea of these superfoods that are the things that are going to magically keep us healthy,” Miller said. Instead, she suggests “really starting to think about what works in your local landscape. What are the foods that you can grow there?”

Not only will eating locally give you access to fresher and less refined food, but it can help you see your community and surroundings in a new way. This summer, challenge yourself to get to know a farmer in your region and learn what they’re growing and why. While you’re at it, if you have the room, Miller suggests taking a stab at growing your own food—even if it’s just edible weeds.