Superfoods don’t exist? Expert debunks popular myth

Do superfoods really exist?

Superfoods are usually products with a high density of nutrients — vitamins, fiber, antioxidants. But hundreds of ordinary foods share these same properties.

The expert stated that superfoods simply do not exist. All plants are either food or not. The concept of healthiness is very relative.

“It’s all about quantity. Some plants contain nutrients important for the human diet, but that doesn’t make them superfoods. They just provide useful nutrients,” he said.

“Terms like this were created for marketing less popular foods. In Ukraine, Lycium barbarum has been grown for hundreds of years, but it wasn’t widely consumed. Only when a very similar species, Lycium chinensis, appeared, it was marketed as goji berries and became popular,” Kovalenko added.

What to know about chia seeds

Chia seeds are often called a superfood. According to the scientist, they are rich in fiber and fatty acids important for the diet. However, eating only chia seeds will not lead to any significant benefits.

It’s important to understand that even very nutritious foods cannot compensate for an unbalanced diet. Benefits come from the overall diet structure, not individual foods.

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.