The term “superfood” is thrown around a lot. It is used for everything from salmon to spinach, from pistachios to pumpkin, from chia seeds to quinoa. When people use the term, they are often referring to foods that are dense in nutrients but low in calories.
Turns out, this term is horribly misunderstood and often used inappropriately. This concept can be dangerous for everyone, but it can be especially dangerous for people battling chronic and rare diseases, such as ulcerative colitis or sickle cell disease, as they look for natural alternatives to Western medicine.
The truth is: There are no superfoods. Certainly, some foods are good for you and some are bad. However, you need a mixture of foods with different kinds of nutrients to maintain a healthy diet.
The myths surrounding goji berries and aloe vera juice are not without support, but they are frequently exaggerated to an unrealistic degree. Consumption of these “superfoods” is healthy, in moderation and along with other foods. Eating too much of any one kind of food will result in negative side effects, such as rickets from vitamin D deficiency, scurvy from vitamin C deficiency, or beri beri from vitamin B1 deficiency.
Whether you suffer from ulcerative colitis or scurvy, you should balance your diet by eating foods that contain a variety of vitamins, nutrients, and even those things that most modern diets restrict, such as sugars, carbohydrates, and calories. The foods that lack sufficient nutrients for the calorie or carb load can be consumed in a healthy diet, just in moderation.
If you enjoy riding the wave of each new superfood as it comes out, you may find that you are causing damage to your body. Instead, focus on getting enough of what you need from various sources in order to protect yourself and your body.
Maybe the trick is to do a little bit of research about the foods you eat to determine how you could incorporate them into your diet to lose (or maintain or gain) weight the healthy way.
Read an article about aloe vera juice by clicking here.
