Another guest post on my blog. Today's post comes from John Rounds, SPT. John currently is doing one of his eight week clinical rotations with me as part of his final year of Doctor of Physical Therapy schooling through the University of South Dakota. As with any guest post I want writers to write what they think, not what they think I want them to think, think about that!!! Enjoy, I like his thinking...
A common theme being displayed among health gurus and marketing agencies is the term "superfood." But what are we really getting with these that we aren't with everyday "regular" healthy foods? Many media outlets have been filling our minds with ideas that by consuming "these 7 foods regularly, you can reduce your look of aging or lose 10 pounds in 10 days." Unfortunately, what holds true for most things that sound too good to be true, so are a lot of these.
Now don't get me wrong, if you are researching "superfood" lists (which I have) you will find apples, oranges, broccoli, avocados, nuts, salmon, etc. But you will also find other items like acai berries, raspberry ketones, mangosteen and noni berries, and supplements such as fish oil. A lot of these foods and supplements also claim to have scientific research backing them. However, the validity behind this research is lacking in practical use.
According to a study published in the Hawaii journal of medicine and public health, it looked at the research backing these "superfoods" and supplements, and discovered that much of the research done was comparing their product to a placebo group, and not revealing the side effects noted by the participants in these studies. Most side effects were minor, with the occasional headache, dizziness, or fatigue being noted; however, one study found in a follow up study, that the amount of the supplement needed to produce the beneficial effects in these commercialized products was leading to hepatotoxicity in some people taking them. This would be reason enough for me to avoid these foods, let alone I can eat an apple for lunch and feel more energized rather than fatigued and not have to worry about getting a headache.
Additionally, on a recent Dr. Oz episode they were pushing raspberry ketones as a "miracle" fat loss supplement. Fortunately, a member of the audience asked why they can't just eat fresh raspberries, and we're answered with, “it will take 90 pounds of raspberry to get the same amount of ketones that you will get in this one small supplemental pill." As far as I know, if it is going to take me 90 pounds of raspberries to get the amount of ketones in these pills, there may be a reason for that. Potentially, that amount of the supplement at one given time may not be healthy.
Thus, if you are looking for that new miracle pill to make you look younger or thinner, it's simple, EAT HEALTHY! Remember the old adage, "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away"? Well, that may be true, but it has been shown to give you just as much if not more energy than a cup of coffee, not to mention, that apples along with most fruits and vegetables actually have negative calories, meaning that you burn more calories eating them, than they actually contain.
Therefore, I return to how I began, "Superman's cape" or "Batman's utility belt." As hard as it is for me to say, as I prefer Superman, in this case I'd go with the "regular" utility belt. Just because these foods have been dubbed "super," there still isn't sufficient scientific evidence that show they are better than a "regular" apple or celery stalk. Essentially, the choice is yours; however, know your choices.
No comments:
Post a Comment