Superfoods: Separating Facts from Fiction

Acai berries

These berries were named the No.1 superfood by nutritionist to the stars Nicholas Perricone for reportedly having higher antioxidant levels than blueberries. The fact they can only be harvested twice a year in the Amazon Basin makes them sound as high-maintenance as one of Perricone's famed clients, Gwyneth Paltrow. Nevertheless, the American Chemical Society verified the claim in 2006.

 Broccoli

Advertisement: Story continues below

 The William H. Macy of the vegie world, this homely food is also a powerhouse: loaded with vitamin C, folic acid and carotenoids, which are packed with vitamin A and can protect your cells from the damage of free radicals, which lead to premature ageing.

Cinnamon

Jerry Seinfeld once said the mystery ingredient that makes every dish tasty is cinnamon. But does it really reduce blood levels of total cholesterol, including triglycerides, and help lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes? Yes.

Dark chocolate

The food equivalent of a supermodel who's also a Mensa candidate, dark chocolate helps prevent heart disease because of the inhibiting effect of polyphenols on LDL cholesterol, which promotes coronary disease. And a BBC news report showed melting dark chocolate in one's mouth produces an elevated heart rate more intense than when we kiss passionately.

Edamame

Like a beauty queen who's fallen from grace, soy products - once touted as reducing the risk of coronary heart disease - have recently been charged with causing hideous side effects such as loss of libido and breast growth in men. The bottom line, dietitian Milena Katz says, is that young soybeans are ''fine as a protein but so are chickpeas''.

Flaxseed

Does this tiny brown seed truly improve heart health by lowering blood pressure, inflammation and blood triglyceride levels, helping to prevent clots in arteries? Only if you eat ground flaxseed or incorporated in flour or meal, rather than whole.

Ginger

Not just the hottest cast member of Gilligan's Island, ginger is a key part of traditional Chinese medicine. Why? Because this underground stem is rich in phytochemicals, including beta-carotene (which helps maintain good eyesight), curcumin and salicylates, which can be used to relieve numerous ailments, including nausea, motion sickness and pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis.

Herbs

Garden-variety green herbs could pull off a public relations coup if word gets out about their health benefits. Dill has six times more beta-carotene than rockmelon or pumpkin, and basil and parsley have twice as much vitamin C as oranges.

Israeli couscous

Model Catherine McCord is touting this version of the ubiquitous grain, rather than the tinier African variety. It has the same health benefits - one cup provides 42 per cent of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C and its high fibre content helps slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, helping to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes - and it is toasted rather than dried, which lends it a nuttier flavour.

Jicama

Like a great indie film, this South American root vegie is both obscure and good for you: a great source of vitamin C, folic acid (crucial in brain development) and beta-carotene.

Kale

Two of this leafy green's antioxidants - lutein and zeaxanthin - lower the risk of age-related eye disease and its vitamin A helps fight infection. You can also make chips with it by sprinkling it with olive oil and salt and baking for 10 minutes. What more do you want?

Acai Berries may help lower blood pressure

Acai Berries help beat blood pressure

Almost every time you go to the doctor, you’ll get your blood pressure taken. What your doctor is actually doing is measuring the amount of force your heart is using as it pumps the blood around your body.

When it’s too high, you’re at increased your risk of developing cardiovascular problems due to the extra stress on your blood vessels (hence the medical name for high blood pressure, ‘hypertension’).

High blood pressure is incredibly common, affecting as many as one in seven Australian adults, and becoming more prevalent as we get older.

In the 1990s, the famous Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) studies demonstrated that changing your diet can help lower or manage high blood pressure.

This series of clinical trials showed that the most effective diet against hypertension is one that avoids salt (aiming for less than 2300 mg, and preferably less than 1500 mg of sodium per day), saturated fat and cholesterol (from meat and full-fat dairy products).

On the other hand the DASH diet contains plenty of foods rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium and fibre, including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish and nuts.

In particular, it contains 4-5 servings per day of fruit, and 4-5 servings of vegetables. These foods contribute potassium to the diet in abundance, which in turn helps to balance sodium levels and maintain healthy blood pressure.

Now, new research suggests that the type of fruit and veggies you choose could also be important in managing your blood pressure.

In a study that tracked the diets of nearly 157,000 people over 14 years, consuming high dietary levels of a group of antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins was shown to have a significant protective effect against hypertension. Participants in the study who ate the highest levels of anthocyanins had an 8% lower risk of developing high blood pressure than those who ate them in small quantities or infrequently.

So where do you find anthocyanins? They’re a group of flavonoids, typically found in red, blue and purple coloured foods, such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

Anthocyanins are particularly rich in the acai berry, an extremely nutritious, high-energy superfood from the Amazon rainforest. Since fresh açaí berries spoil extremely quickly, here in Australia they’re mostly consumed in freeze-dried powdered form, which has the advantage of also concentrating the antioxidant levels in every serve. For example, just 5 grams of RioLife Organic Acai Berry Powder provides a similar level of antioxidants to around 120 blueberries.

Other ways to help manage your blood pressure include stopping smoking, avoiding excessive quantities of alcohol, participating in regular exercise, and keeping to a healthy body weight.

Selected references:

Cassidy A, et al. Habitual intake of flavonoid subclasses and incident hypertension in adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2010 doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.00678

US Dept Health and Human Services, NIH. Your guide to lowering your blood pressure with