What do you think of when you hear the term ‘superfoods’? You might have heard about it at least once in your life. The term ‘superfoods’ first originated from a publication in the early 20th century, and the first superfood was bananas. During World War I, America started to import a lot of bananas. Many nutritionists also started to describe and praise bananas’ advantages. After a while, due to their praise, people of all ages recognized bananas as good and healthy food and consumed them tremendously. Since then, in the 21st century, more foods have been recognized and called superfoods, such as blueberries, salmon, broccoli, kales, and more. In addition, people can now access news about superfoods everywhere besides magazines, blogs, and videos. Then what is the precise definition of superfoods? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, they are foods that are rich in compounds considered beneficial to a person’s health. However, its definitions vary from source to source, and there is no clear scientific evidence of superfoods’ effects and influences. This ambiguity of superfood makes people continue to change their perception of superfood. Moreover, if one food is regarded as a superfood, some people tend to trust and consume that food unconditionally. Recently, many food industries have used a marketing method by saying their products are superfoods with unclearness and consumers’ complacent faith in them.
Instead of heavily relying on superfoods, it might be better to seek ways to become healthy through a healthy diet and meals.
By: Hanseul Chang