Are "superfoods" really ..... super?

[English Tracy]

I hope this is the right section to post this ( a toss up between the recipe and the health section).

I have recently bought certain products with the hope that I get as much out of them as the people who sell them say they do!! So far, I can't say I notice a difference but it has only been 2 weeks.

The items I have are:

lucuma
mesquite
maca (sadly makes me very 'windy' so can't really take it)

etherium gold powder
crystal manna
he shou wu powder.

Has anyone tried these - especially the last three - and had good results? I have been very tired lately with a 'foggy' feeling in my head which my doctor diagnosed as a middle ear problem. I was hoping to experience more 'clarity' of thought and feel more energised but I can't say that I do.

Actually, what are these things supposed to do????

All answers gratefully received!

Thanks, Tracy.

[Moretta]

I'm wondering the same thing.

[meinleben]

superfoods are a scam....a rip off....they are as bad as buying whey protein...

in my opinion....superfoods are watermelon, celery, figs....

superfoods that are processed, heated, packaged, filled, are no super at all...
they are not bright, there is nothing about them that resembles food...

save your money and buy food that is fresh, organic, ripe, raw and whole...that is a superfood....

[raweater]

superfoods are a scam....a rip off....they are as bad as buying whey protein...

in my opinion....superfoods are watermelon, celery, figs....

superfoods that are processed, heated, packaged, filled, are no super at all...
they are not bright, there is nothing about them that resembles food...

save your money and buy food that is fresh, organic, ripe, raw and whole...that is a superfood....

I don't think you understand at all what superfoods are, super foods are blueberries, cacao, flax seeds, broccoli, acai berries, hemp, chlorella, etc.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Some people have great results with superfoods, others do not. Doesn't make them a scam at all.

Personally I only use spirulina and MSM on a regular basis but I do have lucuma, mesquite powder, maca etc. I love to add them to crackers when I make them. On a daily basis I'm into fresh myself.

The best way to try them in singly. Write down all your symptoms, your weight... everything. Then add one to your diet for 4-6 weeks (ish) and see if makes a difference when you stop. Look at your journal and see if any of the symptoms you were feeling are gone. Then stay off the superfood for 2 weeks and see how you feel after not using it.

No difference? Move onto the next one. Difference? Write it down in your journal and remember what it did for ya.

This is a personal journey... only you know what your body needs (in this moment) and what it doesn't. What it resonates with and what it doesn't.

Some people find coconut oil and essential part of their day. Others, like me, can't take it... tastes like bile in my mouth and I can't get it out. *ewwww* Does that make it a bad product? No not at all... just makes it wrong for me.

[Pilgrim]

I started putting spirulina and maca in my morning smoothie and I definitely thought I could feel a difference in my energy level.

Everyone's body is different.

[queenfluff]

Yes, please understand what a superfood is. Superfoods are called such because they have a super high content of some specific nutrient or mineral. For example, camu camu berries are very high in Vitamin C ( yes, higher than oranges) so they fall under they superfoods category because you can get all your needed Vitamin C by not eating as many camu camu berries as you would have to eat oranges. A superfood will often have the highest available amount of a certain vitamin or nutrient than any other food on the planet so that is why it is called a superfood.

Be careful though. You will so many things being advertised as "superfoods" now just in an effort to sell them. I am always seeing articles from mainstream health and nutritional professional about what are "superfoods" - these people are claiming that yoghurt and some other foods that were never considered superfoods before are now superfoods. I can't imagine what would make yoghurt a superfood. So, be careful what you read and do your homework.


Definate superfoods are:

cacao
Goji berries
camu camu
Maca
Spirulina
Blue Mangosteen
Blueberries
Hemp
Acai

There are a few others too. Consider them an "elite" group of foods.

I do not believe that lucuma or mesquite meal are superfoods nor is flax (I think hemp beats flax out). MSM would not be considered a super "food" because it isn't technically a food but in my opinion it is definately a super "supplement".

And I dont believe they are a scam. You will get that response from raw foodies who are anti-anything that makes some extra money. And certain raw foodies who follow a certain raw diet that doesn't allow for any "Fun" foods.

I think superfoods are great - obviously, maybe everyone doesn't need them but that doesn't mean that they can't be enjoyed by others. And how are they all processed? Some of them are a bit to sell for packaging etc but are blueberries processed? I don't think so.

If you want to know about superfoods, ask the Expert. David Wolfe!

Look at his site: He has an article called SuperFoods 101. There are also superherbs too! :) He has a list of all the known superfoods.

http://www.sunfood.com/b2c/ecom/ecomEnduser/default/superfoods101.aspx

[smoothiegirl]

I use organic superfoods plus-spirulina, blue-green algae, barley, purple dulse seaweed, alfalfa and wheat grasses, beet root, spinach leaf, chlorella, rose hips-Gosh! The stuff makes me bounce off of the walls. That's the only supplement that I take. I use it to make sure I get plenty o greens. Don't have health food stores or organic grocery stores near so I don't have access to a lot of different greens. I can tell a huuuuge difference in my energy levels when I take it.

[raweater]

Some people find coconut oil and essential part of their day. Others, like me, can't take it... tastes like bile in my mouth and I can't get it out. *ewwww* Does that make it a bad product? No not at all... just makes it wrong for me.

What sort of coconut oil did you get? Probably 95% of coconut oil is chemically made/extracted and tastes and smells absolutely terrible, this is not real coconut oil. If it's less than $10 a pound it's junk. Have you tried organic, virgin, raw, cold pressed coconut oil made from fresh coconuts (most organic virgin raw coconut oil is made from dried coconut)? Nutiva is a brand that has these qualities and is awesome.

Or do you simply not like the taste of coconut? If you like coconuts but not coconut oil, you've probably got the cheap synthetically extracted oil.

[Aleesha Sattva]

yup, it's nutiva (http://www.rawveganbooks.com/product_info.php?ref=199&products_id=1001253&affiliate_banner_id=1) that i have... ewwwwwwww

i did buy some at the health food store though that i loved. it was "garden of life"... when i ran out i got the nutiva and haven't tried the garden of life since... the nutiva really turned me off coconut oil. :(

i will buy some again though... as i love garden of life products.

[Lelê]

If you want to know about superfoods, ask the Expert. David Wolfe!

Look at his site: He has an article called SuperFoods 101. There are also superherbs too! :) He has a list of all the known superfoods.

http://www.sunfood.com/b2c/ecom/ecomEnduser/default/superfoods101.aspx

I just want to say that it's not everybody that believes that David Wolfe is the best source for this. Many people believe that he creates an extra hype for profit.

I'm not saying he is or isn't, just pointing out different opinions... :)

This is a great topic that discuss this subject: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=41561

[raweater]

yup, it's nutiva (http://www.rawveganbooks.com/product_info.php?ref=199&products_id=1001253&affiliate_banner_id=1) that i have... ewwwwwwww

i did buy some at the health food store though that i loved. it was "garden of life"... when i ran out i got the nutiva and haven't tried the garden of life since... the nutiva really turned me off coconut oil. :(

i will buy some again though... as i love garden of life products.

That's strange, what was the difference with the GOL oil? Do you like the taste of coconut to begin with? Was it that the GOL oil was tasteless? The nutiva oil tastes and smells like fresh coconut and that's why I prefer it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

mine smells like fresh coconut... but it sure doesn't taste like it. i looooooooove coconut. drink young coconut mylk every single day... love love love it.

wish i loved the nutiva though.

[kaybee]

yeah, i thought the nutiva was awful too. i know its gross, but that "bile" taste you describe, yep. leaves my mouth tasting like i just got sick.

Now the COCONUT BUTTER from artisana, thats a different story. thats yum. but i noticed the same yucky taste when i bought some of their "mixtures" like amazon bliss that had coconut oil added.

[Eva]

The coconut de creme (which I believe is what Alissa has but under a different name!) is the only coconut oil I have tried that didn't have a gross aftertaste. Might be worth trying because it is DELICIOUS! I use the stuff with a bad aftertaste on my skin and as hair conditioner, still have some left over that I didn't like.

[rawstrength]

I enjoy my nutiva coconut oil, but I've noticed that once its opened it picks up the flavor of whatever odors are floating around near it. Once I transfered it from the glass bottle into a plastic ziplock bag and a few days later it tasted like plastic. So I highly recommend buying coconut oil in glass jars instead of plastic bottles.

I didn't know that rosehips qualified as a superfood. I pick them wild and love them. If so . . . then they are the cheapest superfood ever!

The other superfoods I can take or leave. I mainly eat cacao and maca occasionally for taste rather than for nutrition or as a supplement. I believe that it's best to eat what my body craves rather than taking a measured dose of a food daily as a supplement.

I find David Wolfe interesting and inspiring, but I wouldn't believe or practice everything that comes out of his mouth. I just take what works for me and makes sense to me out of his jumble of mismatched nutritional and spiritual advice. I really like his book Eating for Beauty, though.

[Dimond]

When it comes to superfoods, it really depends on what you're using them for. Just like with most foods and supplements, you're not going to notice the positive affects it may have. Certain superfoods like maca have really helped many regulate their hormones or improve sex. Some have an energy increase with some of the green supplements. Everyone is different. Instead of randomly taking superfoods, just figure out which ones work for you or that you like. Yacon & lucuma are meant to be raw sweetener replacements. The dried berries, like goji and camu-camu, have high doses of vitamin c and antioxidants and are suppose to be more potent than fresh.

Nutiva has said that their coconut oil is not raw. They were suppose to come out with one that is, but so far haven't.

[raweater]

mine smells like fresh coconut... but it sure doesn't taste like it. i looooooooove coconut. drink young coconut mylk every single day... love love love it.

wish i loved the nutiva though.

What do you mean by young coconut milk? Do you blend the coconut water and meat to make a milk or do you mean just the water? Also be careful with young coconuts as the white/trimmed/pointy ones are dipped in toxic chemicals. I now get the whole green young coconuts instead, but rarely because $3 for 140 calories is very excessive (a mature coconut is $0.99 for 1400 calories, a third the price for ten times the nutrition, or 30 times cheaper).

[raweater]

Nutiva has said that their coconut oil is not raw. They were suppose to come out with one that is, but so far haven't.

Where did you see that? I bought nutiva because they specifically say it is always kept below 100 degrees or something around there (definately below 118) to ensure it is raw.

Found what they say: "Cold-processed under 104 degrees"

[Dimond]

Here's the thread about Nutiva:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=39253&highlight=nutiva

[Ilse W.]

English Tracy - If you have been tired and foggy lately, maybe rather than trying different superfoods, you might try a day or a few days of juice fasting. You get all the nutrients you need, but your whole system gets a needed rest to detox and rebuild. Just a thought. I hope you get to feeling better quickly.

[Aleesha Sattva]

yeah, i thought the nutiva was awful too. i know its gross, but that "bile" taste you describe, yep. leaves my mouth tasting like i just got sick.

yup it's pretty gross.


What do you mean by young coconut milk?

the liquid inside the young coconut. ;)

[fuggles]

Theres a 3 hour seminar by David wolfe on youtube, he gives the top 10 superfoods, then the top 10 herbs.

I agree that broccoli and garlic and bluebrries are classified just the same as the ones we know as superfoods, but its a psychological barrier because we see broccoli everywhere and think a superfood wouldn't be so easily available, when it is.

Also, its okay living on fruits , veg and nuts, but I read that people who took spirulina surived the nuclear attack in hiroshima and those who didnt take it, did not survive. I dont know the specific information, but there was a connection. Obviously it depended on how far away from the bomb they were, but like i said, I dont know the specific information. Ill try and find it. That's something just eating fruit and veg won't give you.


This was the top 10 list, I only took brief notes from the video and saved it to my computer. its changing all the time and new foods are always being discovered so this definitely isnt all-or-nothing.

1)cacao
2)goji
3)maca
4)bee pollen
5)algae,marine phyto plankton, spirulina
6)aloe vera
7)hemp
9)chlorella wheatgrass seaweed
10)coconut

8)sunlight 11)water

herbs::
1) specific mushrooms
2)garlic
3)camu camu ?

[RunningRaw21]

The yucky feeling most people get from eating coconut oil comes from the fact that your eating two to three table spoons of OIL! Imagine if you were to eat two to three spoonfuls of shortening!

Also, young coconuts have to be dipped in an antifungal solution and fumigated before they are imported.

Now, if you want to feel a big difference in your energy level through out the day, do what I do. Eat a HUGE organic salad, (I usually use a spring mix with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes an a vinegarette) and eat three or four table spoons of Artisana's Coconut butter!

I like to have smoothies for lunch, and let me tell you, Spirulina and Chlorella are an added kick. Also another great place to use the coconut butter. =)

As for the mushrooms, I think Maitake are great, and pretty readily available. Especially here on the North Coast.