Superfoods for Inner Health
by Catherine Saxelby
Super foods
Not all foods are created equal. Some “super” foods contain
more nutrients than others or have medicinal effects that
reach beyond nutrition. For example, an apple is not
equivalent to an orange. An orange has 10 times more vitamin
C and beta-carotene, four times more thiamine and a whopping
40 times more folate, a B vitamin that helps prevents birth
defects.
Likewise, broccoli is nutritionally superior to beans or
zucchini (as are its relatives, cauliflower, cabbage, kale
and brussels sprouts). Liver towers over red meats. Garlic
lords it over leeks, onions, shallots and chives, even
though they are all cousins. Dark chocolate is the one with
the catechin antioxidants (the more bitter, the better),
while milk chocolate has only around one third. White
chocolate? Forget it.
New research morphs everyday foods into “healing foods”.
Cinnamon (three grams a day – about half a teaspoon) has
been shown to lower blood glucose in people with diabetes.
Rosemary and oregano are documented to have high antioxidant
levels, along with antibacterial qualities, which are
thought to explain why these herbs helped preserve meat
dishes in times before refrigeration.
And tea doesn’t have to be green to be good. A cuppa of
regular tea now appears to contain the same antioxidant
potential – both come from the same bush Camellia sinensis.
But how do you make each kilojoule count?
Dr Adam Drewnowski, director of the Centre for Public Health
Nutrition at the University of Washington, has ranked the
nutritional value of hundreds of natural foods against the
kilojoules they provide to come up with what he has dubbed
“naturally nutrient-rich foods”. “These maximise the
vitamins, minerals and protein for every kilojoule you
consume.”
Among vegetables – generally a nutritionist’s delight –
Drewnowski has calculated that the superstars are spinach,
dark-green lettuces (mignonette, rocket, baby spinach
leaves) and orange sweet potato (kumera). “You get the
highest quantities of vitamin C, folate, fibre, and minerals
without overloading your system.”
In the grains group, Drewnowski has identified brown rice,
barley, wholegrain bread and wholegrain cereals as having
the most nutrients for every kilojoule.
Low-fat milk and low-fat yoghurt give you the most bang for
your dairy buck. And in the protein group, top of the class
are beef steak, pork loin, eggs, salmon, black beans and
almonds.
Top fruits? Avocado, oranges, grapefruit, kiwifruit,
blueberries and strawberries.
It’s all about informed choices. When
it comes to getting maximum nutrients for minimum
kilojoules, it is like comparing apples and oranges
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