Explainer | Turmeric, beans, chia seeds: superfoods, their health benefits for weight loss, boosting immunity, and more, and how to add them to your diet
- Superfoods are whole, unprocessed and very high in nutrients. You’ll find some among the fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds and nuts available where you live
- Try a turmeric-spiked drink to boost your immune system, a square of dark chocolate for an antioxidant fix, and fibre-rich black bean tortillas with guacamole for dinner
Superfoods seem to be everywhere, touted as a ticket to a disease-free life. Celebrities, from Cindy Crawford to Rihanna, swear by them, as do many social media influencers.
But their definition is fuzzy. What are superfoods, really, and how can we use them to gain the greatest health benefits?
“Generally, a food is promoted to superfood status when it offers high levels of desirable nutrients, is linked to the prevention of a disease, or is believed to offer several simultaneous health benefits beyond its nutritional value,” it says.
Accredited nutritionist Sangamithra Vidyasa Gararaju, of the Singapore Nutrition & Dietetics Association, describes superfoods as “whole, unprocessed, real foods that are nutrient dense in their original form. They are predominantly plant foods, rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants”.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, which are locally and readily available, are a great way to include superfoods in our everyday diets.
