FOOD THAT IS SUPER

The expression superfood has become very popular these days, especially when we talk about nutrition and health.

Basically people say that superfood is some food that has positive effects on our body.

Every day, whether it’s on line or on a magazine, there is a new food that is called super, that is able to help healing some disease or to prevent us from ageing…. one day it’s blueberry, another day is lemon, then chocolate and so on.

In the English dictionary it is said that superfood is: “A nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.”

We need to be careful not to exaggerate about what the media say and state: it is always better to double check and look for more evidence and proofs.

Blueberries for example are among the most renowned superfoods: after medical studies conducted on mice, it is said that the high concentration of anti-oxydant helps preventing cancer colon and memory loss.

Pomegranate is also rich in precious anti-oxydant: some researches show that is helps to lower blood pressure and also the oxidative stress that is the cause of many cardiovascular diseases.

Cocoa, especially if consumed raw, is able to reduce blood pressure and thanks to its flavonoid, it also contributes to the keep blood vessels elastic.

Salmon is considered superfood too: it is rich in omega 3 that helps to prevent cardiovascular problems, and reduces pain in the joints.

All the superfoods that are rich in anti-oxidants should be eaten raw or cooked at low temperatures in order to preserve their precious properties.

For the same reason it is recommended not to expose them to sun light in particular and to any light in general. If you opt for a pomegranate juice, better to drink it immediately! Once you buy a superfood, it is preferable to eat as soon as possible.

If for example superfoods come from 5.000 km distance, we don’t know how many anti-oxidants they have left or better lost along the way…!

It is always better to choose products that are local, in season and fresh.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that these are results come from medical researches conducted inside a laboratory, very often on mice and using high doses of each substance. This does not mean that we have to eat as much superfoods as we can to have those same effects.

Eating too much of any food is not good to us.

If we eat too much cocoa that come in bars for example, we don’t have to forget that along with more flavonoid come also more sugar and fat.

So how can we consume superfoods properly and add them to our daily diet?

As we said it in older posts, we suggest varying what we eat as much as we can.

At Baci di Dama we believe that a diet is healthy when it is varied.

We can sprinkle the superfood of our choice on a breakfast bowl or juice and then have another one for lunch or dinner.

Keep being creative and have fun with them, after all they are all so good!