SS 189 – Are All Superfoods B.S.?

Episode 189 Show Notes

Grant and Heavey discuss whether superfoods are real or just total BS? Learn more about superfoods and their top four food picks you could possibly incorporate into your diet. Heavey would rather not call them as “superfoods” really, but let’s see what research has to say about them.

 

[01:30] Have You Gotten Your Colon and Rectum Checked Lately?

 

It has been recommended for the last few decades to get your colon and rectum checked when you hit 50. However, the American Cancer Society just recently updated the guidelines for colon and rectal cancer screening at 45 years old.

 

People nowadays are at 4 times the risk for rectal cancer than people born in the 50s and double the risk for colon cancer. They say no one knows what’s going on. It’s something of interest, but no one is questioning what is happening. They’ve decided to perform these tests done earlier. Colonoscopy is the gold standard but there’s a number of other tests they can do. In fact, there are five approved tests including a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a multi-target stool DNA test, a take home fecal immunochemical test, a high sensitivity fecal occult blood test, and of course, colonoscopy. Hence, if you’re in your mid 40s right now, this is something you might want to consider.

 

[05:15] How Super Are Your Superfoods?

 

What comes to your mind when you think of superfoods? As for Grant, it makes him think of algae. Heavey looked up Wikipedia which describes superfoods as “a marketing term for food with supposed health benefits.”

 

He also found that the first published use of the word “superfood” was in reference to wine in a Jamaican newspaper during World War I. It described its ability to enhance life as something extra.

 

Heavey’s problem with the idea of superfoods though is that there’s no accepted definition for it. Next, the notion just seems to fan the flames for fad diets. It also feels like it gives people an out. Like they can skirt responsibility for the rest of their diet just because they’re crushing some supposed super magical food that they read about in an article.

 

Ultimately, the thing he hates most about the word “superfood” is that it just confuses the hell out of people. It’s so superfluous that it prevents them from taking steps with their nutrition that’s going to move the needle for them.

 

[08:30] Lack of Regulation (Or None at All)

 

Heavey adds that in the U.S., they don’t regulate that word at all so it doesn’t really mean anything. However, countries in the European Union, as of 2017, state that foods cannot be called superfoods unless they’re accompanied by a specific authorized health claim supported by credible evidence. As to what kinds of foods are classified by the EU as superfoods, they’re not entirely sure. Heavey decides to dip deeper into some research to see what among the top few foods have the biggest body of evidence to support some positive outcomes from them.

 

Just to make things clear here though, Heavey is still not going to call them superfoods but there is significant evidence behind them for certain benefits. It’s up to you to see if it’s something you want to pile into your diet.

 

[09:55] Superfood #1 (which Heavey still won’t call them as superfoods): Garlic

 

Nicole, Heavey’s wife, always tries to get him to eat whole cloves of garlic when he’s sick. Apparently, her dad made her do it. True enough, Heavey found two studies that have shown that garlic supplementation decreased common cold incidence by 60-70%.

 

That being said, Grant won’t do this. Heavey goes on to say that garlic has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve cholesterol numbers and may help lower fasting blood glucose.

 

In these studies, the minimum effective dose is 2-3 cloves per day. Although you can actually buy garlic capsules available and not eat the whole food source. But if you’re going to consume the food source, keep in mind that microwaving garlic partially destroys some of the beneficial compounds so it’s best to grill or roast it. Second, if you go beyond 5% of your diet as garlic, it can actually be toxic. Therefore, obviously, make sure you don’t go beyond 5%.

 

[13:13] Superfood #2: Blueberries

 

Blueberries have been pitched as superfoods before. Indeed, they do reduce cognitive decline in the elderly and may also have cognitive-enhancing benefit. It’s not super robust but there’s compelling research behind this. In the study, the average dose they used was 60-120 grams of fresh berries daily.

 

[15:13] Superfood #3: Spirulina

 

Spirulina is an algae that has over 50% protein content, which is pretty wild. Apparently, NASA investigated its use for space missions. This is where it really started to gain momentum in the public eye as a potential superfood.

 

Because of its protein content, it’s commonly used as a protein supplement for vegans. Vegans also tend to use it as their source of B12. It can be a decent protein supplement but not a good B12 supplement because the kind of B12 it contains is not absorbed well in the body. Additionally, Spirulina contains loads of vitamins and minerals. It has a proven safety profile for people consuming it on a regular basis.

 

There’s also a bit of research that it can decrease LDL and triglycerides and total cholesterol while increasing HDL. So it could potentially play a role in somebody that’s looking to manage their cholesterol a little bit better.

 

[18:40] Superfood #4: The Leafy Greens

 

Solid greens have high levels of nitrate that’s been shown to improve blood flow and can help lower blood pressure. So eating vegetables rich in nitrate like arugula, collard greens, and beetroot can, over time, help lower blood pressure.

 

[19:45] A Part of the Whole

 

They all have substantiated claims to health benefits but Heavey is still firm on not being into this whole “superfood” notion. How you could use these foods in certain circumstances should improve your life. But if you have high blood pressure, you shouldn’t bet the farm on eating three cloves of garlic a day. It’s not a sound approach to solving your blood pressure problem. It might play a role in reducing your blood pressure but you certainly need to work with your doctor to figure out a larger program that can include elements like this, but don’t depend exclusively on them.

 

In working with nutrition clients, Heavey’s recommendations are entirely based on what their goals are. If they’re coming to him for body composition exclusively, they may not even give a crap about any of this. Secondly, if a client comes to him with high blood pressure, he cannot legally tell them to take garlic for their blood pressure since only a registered dietitian can do that.

 

[21:35] Are All Superfoods Just BS Then?

 

Heavey says that most of the headlines you hear about the latest superfood are total BS, which means they’re not based on scientific research. He has come across a lot of foods to come up with these four and even some of these don’t have the strongest basis of evidence for them. That being said, no single food item is going to be a difference-maker for anybody. You can think about these foods in the context of a larger, healthier diet. Heavey believes that food, in general, should be considered medicinal in a lot of ways because it has the ability to affect our health and longevity, probably greater than almost anything else in our lives. Again, it’s about seeing food as a whole, and not as a single “superfood.”

 

[23:30] A Sip of Disgusting Nocino

 

Grant recalls how this Italian family invited him to lunch and had courses of meals. Then they had courses of liquor – one of them was Grappa which he really liked. He also had Nocino, which he found disgusting.

 

He describes the taste being a more disgusting version of Jagermeister. He found the reason it was gross was because of how it was made. They basically take unripe green walnuts, smash them, and lay them soaked in alcohol (like vodka or distilled spirit) until they turn black and become flavored pure alcohol. Grant explains that if you were to distill enough nearly any booze, you end up with vodka. So they just basically rot in there and then they add sugar to it.

 

On a lighter, more pleasant note, Grant found that Grappa is actually being also made in Australia and in the U.S. (Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, and North Carolina).