Superfoods have gone stratospheric, but what are superfoods and superfood blends?
Highlights
· What are superfoods?
· What is a superfood blend?
· Superfood blend categories
What are superfoods?
Definition of a superfood
In terms of overall nutrition, a superfood is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as:
“a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being”.
Natural superfood ingredients in your diet
But a superfood — or superfoods — aren’t a classification of food. This is because they encompass a plethora of micronutrients that make up a complete diet. Examples are foods rich in ingredients like antioxidants, mono-poly-unsaturated fats, fibre, and probiotics. The idea of superfood blends as beneficial nutritional supplements is that they provide specific micronutrients that are more bioavailable.
In a healthy diet bereft of supplements, superfoods are in addition to — not a replacement for.
How do we think of superfoods?
Superfoods is a category and product trend synonymous with improving overall health and wellbeing. But it’s also a trend that reflects an increased interest in natural supplements, with a holistic component and a consumer desire for products with a clean label.
So how does this translate to superfoods as nutritional supplements, and what was the driving force behind superfoods exploding onto the market? To answer that, we have to look at where superfoods as a trend has come from.
Superfoods in general nutrition are nothing new. However, we saw an explosion of superfood blends as a nutritional supplement around COVID-19, when health was the global number one priority. Superfood blends have transitioned from merely including specific micronutrients in a diet, to a standalone powerhouse supplement category. Because of this transition, defining the superfood category has become slightly muddied.
Why?
Because superfoods don’t fit neatly into a specific box. They aren’t a staple macronutrient like protein and you don’t use them specifically before a workout like pre-workout; instead, they’re an amalgamation of several different vitamins and minerals that offer extra benefits. They lean into personalised nutrition, with different superfood ingredients providing a specific health benefit depending on an individual’s particular health needs.
What are superfood blends?
We tend to split them into four main categories:
1. Green superfood blends (spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass)
2. Red superfood blends (acai berry, pomegranate)
3. Adaptogenic blends (maca, reishi, cordyceps)
4. ‘Other’ superfood blends (golden, blue and health-specific blends)
Do you want improved energy and focus? Adaptogenic mushroom blends. Are you looking to add more antioxidants? Here’s a red superfood blend with acai, raspberries and blueberries. How about immune-boosting nutrients? There’s a green superfood blend with chlorella, spirulina and kale to get your daily dose of essential vitamins. Do you need anti-inflammatory nutrients? Here’s a golden blend with curcumin from turmeric.
What started as incorporating certain foods from basic food groups has transitioned into a billion-dollar industry (think AG1)… superfoods have gone stratospheric.
Look out for our blog delving into the four categories in more detail!
