It’s enough to make you choke on your quinoa, curly kale and chia seed salad – but many so-called superfoods don’t actually live up to the marketing hype.
In many cases, everyday foods such as oranges and Brussels sprouts are just as good for us – and far cheaper.
A study by New Scientist magazine found that while many foods claim to have miraculous health benefits, there is precious little evidence to back this up.
Nutrition scientist Dr Duane Mellor, of the University of Nottingham, said: ‘Superfoods are marketing gimmicks.’
With almost two-thirds of Britons admitting to buying superfoods, and many willing to pay more for the privilege, the magazine decided to see whether they were getting their money’s worth.
Foods from goji berries to quinoa, coconut water and beetroot juice were put under the microscope.
The claims made about them were picked apart, their nutritional values were compared with those of less exotic fare and experts were consulted.
In the final analysis, few of the foods had exceptional qualities.
For instance, goji berries – red, raisin-sized fruit that has long been used in Chinese medicine to boost immunity, pep up libido and protect against heart disease and cancer – are a popular with health-conscious Britons.
New Scientist says: ‘Chinese medicine also prizes ground-up rhino horn – and there is precious little research identifying the supposedly unique active ingredients in goji berries, never mind measuring their health benefits.’
Goji berries are feted as being rich in zeaxanthin, a compound linked to keeping ageing eyes healthy.
But Catherine Collins, a dietician at St George’s Hospital in London, said: ‘Other foods that will have exactly the same effects are far cheaper.
‘If its zeaxanthin you are after, you can get your fill from leafy veg such as spinach and cabbage or from yellow peppers.’
Coconut water, the clear liquid tapped from young green coconuts and dubbed ‘nature’s sports drink’, is one of the trendiest thirst-quenchers on the market.
But studies show that it is actually no better than water.
So-called superfood chia seeds were also found to be less than super.
They are said to be packed with omega-3 fatty acids – healthy fats that ward off heart disease and depression.
However, unlike the omega-3 in oily fish, the fats in the seeds need to be processed by the before they help the heart.
This means that weight for weight, salmon is a better source.
While some research has found that the grain quinoa can cut cholesterol and help people lose weight, the numbers involved were so small that it is hard to draw any firm conclusions.
In any case, washing quinoa before eating it means some of the key chemicals go down the drain.
The benefits of kale were also questioned, with Brussel sprouts a richer source of glucosinolates – bitter-tasting chemicals that are said to fight cancer.
Wheatgrass juice, a dark-green liquid squeezed from young shoots of wheat, is meant to flood the tissues with oxygen.
But the investigation found this was a ‘whole shot of nonsense’. Baobab powder, which is made from the fruit of an African tree and is claimed to boost energy and immunity, was also deemed to be nothing special.
And chocoholics beware – any benefits to blood pressure from feasting on dark chocolate need to be weighed against the damage that can be done by its fat and sugar content.
Even the blueberry, the original superfood, doesn’t escape criticism, for the blueberry chemical that is said to protect the heart actually struggles to make it into the blood stream.
But one superfood did make the grade – beetroot. The nitrates in beetroot are said to lower blood pressure and rev up the metabolism – and research seems to back up these claims.
However, beetroot consumption comes with a health warning – in high quantities it may increase the risk of gastric cancer.
New Scientist said: ‘You don’t have to hang on Gwyneth Paltrow’s every word to have heard the buzz about exotic-sounding seeds that replenish your energy and make you glow, or obscure berries from afar that disease-proof your organs.
‘Reliable, long-term studies to support most claims are thin on the ground.
‘Most claims you hear refer to cell or mouse studies and should be taken with a hefty pinch of salt.’
Daily Mail