While ancient grains such as quinoa and buckwheat have enjoyed becoming synonymous with “superfood”, chia increased in usage in 2017, along with a number of other ingredients, including: The study also noted in 2015 alone, there was a 36 percent rise in the number of food and drink products touting those same terms.Īncient grains such as quinoa, flax seed and buckwheat are popular and often associated with the term "superfood" for their health benefits. Top trending superfoodsīetween the period of 20, there was a 202 percent increase in the number of new food and drink products launched around the world containing the terms “superfood”, “superfruit” or “super grain”, according to a 2016 Mintel study. These findings seem to coincide with the popularity of top-performing superfoods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are perceived as healthful. Moreover, the survey showed roughly 75 percent of global respondents believe they “are what they eat” and nearly 80 percent are actively using foods to forestall health issues and medical conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. A recent Nielsen survey concluded consumers are looking for “functional foods that provide benefits that can either reduce their risk of disease and/or promote good health.” Health attributes strongly influence the foods consumers buy, who are willing to pay a premium for health benefits, according to the survey, but not all attributes are equally important across the globe. Marketing superfoods has created an extremely lucrative business for the food industry. People tend to believe they "are what they eat," lending credence to the idea of food as medicine. While some “superfoods” do have well-proven health benefits and the endorsement of nutritionists, skeptics argue temporary fads and/or celebrities popularize other foods to the point of misrepresentation. The food industry needs only some scientific research on a particular food, some well-worded news articles, and a catchy food marketing campaign, and it too could be a newly discovered “superfood.” The Internet and social media can market the benefits of a so-called superfood at viral speeds. More than 100 years after being coined, a term like superfood is virtually synonymous with presumptive health benefits. Prior to the discovery of gluten, the American Medical Association believed bananas in a child’s diet would provide relief for celiac disease or even cure it. For a time, physicians endorsed bananas as a means to combat a number of ailments, including celiac disease and diabetes. Prescott noted “since the edible portion is surrounded by a thick enveloping skin it is effectively protected against the attacks of bacteria, moulds and other agencies of decomposition.”Īdd it to cereal have one with lunch even add it to a salad or fry it up for dinner – the fruit’s many uses made it virtually super.Īs the fruit’s popularity began to circulate, so, too, did its moniker. In an article published in a 1918 volume of The Scientific Monthly, author Samuel C. Developed by The United Fruit Company, the company used the term to promote the practicality of bananas as a daily source of cheap, easily digestible nutrition. The origin of the term superfood in fact appeared in the early part of the 20th Century as a strategy to market bananas. Where did the term superfood originate, anyway? Maybe unsurprisingly, the term had little to do with any formal scientific or nutritional study. Bananas like these are fried then skewered and served as a snack.
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