Why We Need To Rethink The Word “Superfood”, From A Functional Medicine Expert
As I thought about this article, I remembered my time visiting the mindbodygreen offices, where all of the conference rooms are named after those delightful superfoods we all know and love. The last thing I want to do is disparage these ingredients, or discourage anyone from incorporating them into their diet.
But I do want to propose a higher standard. Maybe it’s time to up the ante, just like our heightened focus on immunity over the past year has me pushing for better thinking around a different buzzword, resilience.
What if a superfood was actually super nutritious? What if it offered a complete nutritional solution? A much smaller, more esoteric list of super-ingredients fits this bill—things like organ meats or cold-water fatty fish, maybe some yeasts. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this higher standard of superfood makes me think of my favorite new ingredient, Himalayan Tartary buckwheat, the fruit seed (not grain) that we’ve been bringing back to market at Big Bold Health. Every time I send samples of this ancient plant to our lab, I’m floored by the results.
Let’s talk a bit about, what I consider, completeness. In my opinion, a true superfood should cover all the bases, and that’s what a plant like Himalayan Tartary buckwheat does. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, high in complete proteins, and has prebiotic fibers for for a healthy microbiome. It also has a balanced mix of vitamins and minerals, including key flavonoids for immunity, like rutin and quercetin. This is how I’ve come to think of superfoods, as nature’s delivery mechanism for the right balance of macronutrients, and a powerhouse blend of micro- and phytonutrients.
