ESSAY ACADEMIC SKILLS

University of Applied Sciences Leiden

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SAIROEN VAN EEKHOUT

LEIDEN
12-4-2016
2015-2016
ACADEMIC SKILLS
JOEY BOL 1084113
COM3C

Table of Contents
Superfoods are not so super .................................................................................................................. 2
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Superfoods are not so super

On January 20, 2015 USA Today reporter Bruce Horowitz revealed that 41 percent of Generation Z 1
stated that they willing to pay higher prices for healthier products (Horovitz, 2015). Due to this
development, recent years have seen the rise of the so-called superfoods 2. It is claimed that these
foods, which supposedly contain a vast amount of healthy nutrients, improve our health rapidly by
providing our bodies with the well-deserved boost they need. However, when this claim is examined
critically, it transpires that superfoods are no better than regular food. In fact, superfoods fall short
of meeting the requirements to surpass our daily, normal food, but they sometimes actually defraud
people into consuming products that have dangerous side effects.
Firstly, in terms of nutritional value, no single superfood could ever replace normal food. As
indicated by the Netherlands Voedingscentrum (Food Centre), it is simply impossible for one
particular kind of food to contain all the essential nutrients needed by humans to function; only by
eating various sorts of food humans can give their bodies access to all nutrients (Mens en
Gezondheid, 2014). While it is true that superfoods claim to contain vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants, which help to improve our health, these nutrients can also be found in regular food,
and superfoods offer no significant advantage in comparison to normal nutrition in this respect. It
should also be noted that there is no legal definition of what a superfood exactly is
(Voedingscentrum, 2014); hence, theoretically any product may be called a superfood. Yet, instead
of arranging for themselves a well-balanced diet which contains all the necessary nutrients, people
choose for superfoods because of their image as being healthier than ordinary food, when in reality a
proper diet will do a tremendous amount more for peoples health.
Moreover, superfoods are also deceiving people in other respects. While consumers are led to
believe that they are purchasing a healthy product, in the end more often than not, the product
contains only about half of the nutritional value stated on the packaging. A recent test performed by
the Consumerss Association of the Netherlands (Consumentenbond) revealed that 50 percent of the
investigated superfoods did not contain the amount of nutrition they should have had according to
the information on the label of the product. In addition, the amount of ingredients that were found
in the superfoods were 400 times lower than that claimed in the information on the label
(Cammelbeeck, 2014). This shows that superfoods can give consumers inaccurate information:
consumers who are persuaded to buy the product may in fact can end up missing vital nutrients and,
therefore, diminishing their health instead of improving it. According to this vision, the name
superfoods is no more than a clever marketing name for regular food.
From an opposite angle, however, it is claimed that the name superfoods is justified after all.
According to the research of W. Yi in 2005, certain types of superfoods such as blueberries, contain
high concentrations of antioxidant plant compounds. These compounds avert the multiplication of
cancerous colon cells while simultaneously despoiling them completely (Yi, 2005).
Hence, it would appear that superfoods can indeed make significant contributions to our health.
Nonetheless, even though Yis research suggest that some superfoods may have health-promoting
assets, when looking closer it becomes clear how difficult it is to apply the results of this study to real
life. This is because the circumstances under which the researchers have studied the food in the lab
are more often than not extremely different from the conditions under which foods are ordinarily
consumed.
1

Generation whom is born from the 1990s.

Non-medical term used to refer to foods that have health-improving properties. Superfoods have an
extraordinarily high content of vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients. Examples of superfoods are: salmon,
walnuts and blueberries (MedicineNet.com, 2016).

For example, research in this area uses extraordinary amounts of nutrients, which are not attainable
in a normal diet. Furthermore, the physiological effects of these superfoods are mostly short-term
(Kris-Etherton & Keen, 2002). In order to acquire the health benefits offered by superfoods, people
would have to consume them on a regular basis.
Also, superfoods are known to have side effects. A study published by David C in the Journal of
Applied Physiology reveals the dangers of superfoods. Chia seeds, for instance, could cause serious
blood thinning, which is especially dangerous to people who take medicines such as warfarin and
heparin. Secondly, eating chia seeds can lead to bad diarrhea, bloating, and flatulence. Similarly to
chia seeds, fish is seen as a superfood. Fish contains a massive amount of healthy omega-3 fatty
acids, which is in itself a good thing. However, fish also contains a variable amount of dangerous
elements, such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. Furthermore, when consumed in excessive
amounts, omega-3 fatty acids which can be found in most superfoods could for instance,
damage the mechanisms that are fundamental for muscle to function effectively extending the time
it takes our body to heal in the long run (Poole, 2010).
In conclusion, superfoods are not superior to our regular, normal food. They are simply the result of
companies eagerness to capitalise on the current hype of a healthy lifestyle. In reality, superfoods
cannot replace normal food because they do not contain all the essential nutrition that humans
need. Moreover, people are led to believe that superfoods contain an extensive amount of healthy
nutrients when in reality most of the time superfoods do not even contain half of the amount of
nutrients that is stated on packaging information. Lastly, superfoods come with a real risk of side
effects. Ostensibly aimed at improving our health, they can in fact jeopardise it. When taken
together, these arguments prove that superfoods are no better than daily, normal food that people
can find in supermarkets, which is produced in a responsible way. While it is true that some of the
regular foods offered are not as healthy as some of the so-called superfoods, the supermarket
provides us with a variety of products from which society can freely choose. If you want to achieve a
healthier lifestyle, there is one way to do it: start with yourself and assemble a healthy, proper diet.
Anything in life worth having is worth working for.

Bibliography

Cammelbeeck, T. (2014). Superfood superonzin.

http://www.consumentenbond.nl/morellobestanden/gidsarchief/gezondgids/2014/ng201406p16_Test_superfoods.pdf?
Retrieved on 1-4-2016
Horovitz, B. (2015). Younger folks want healthier food and will pay for it.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/01/19/healthy-food-nielsen-global-health-wellness-study/22000167/
Retrieved on 11-4-2016
Kris-Etherton P.M. & Keen C.L. (2002). Evidence that the antioxidant flavonoids in tea and cocoa are
beneficial for cardiovascular health. Curr Opin Lipidol 13:419.
MedicineNet.com (2016). Definition of Superfoods.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=125459
Retrieved on 11-4-2016
Mens en Gezondheid. (2014). Superfoods: de gevaren.
http://mens-en-gezondheid.infonu.nl/gezonde-voeding/128497-superfoods-de-gevaren.html
Retrieved on 1-4-2016
Poole, C. (2010). Antioxidants arent always beneficial to your health and can sometimes impair
muscle function.
https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jan10/antioxidant12610.html
Retrieved on 1-4-2016
Voedingscentrum. (n.d.) Superfoods.
http://www.voedingscentrum.nl/encyclopedie/superfoods.aspx
Retrieved on 1-4-2016
Yi, W. (2005). Phenolic compounds from blueberries can inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and
induce apotosis. Agric Food Chem. 53(18):7320-9