Into the SuperFood-Verse

Unmasking some of the food industry's best kept secrets.

Author

Colin Dragon
May 15, 2023

Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, we know the weekend is long and full of terrors, but it’ll be ok. We’re here for you now.

Today we’re taking a closer look at Superfoods. We all know great power comes with great responsibility. Have these foods lived up to their moniker?

Or has it all just been a clever marketing stunt?

Let’s dive in!

Super Food or Super Myth
Examining Claims & Cutting Through Hype

From chia seeds to kale, goji berries to qunioa, superfoods have captured our collective imagination and attention, dominating the health and wellness conversation.

While our health as a society may be on the decline, these foods are ready to swing in and save the day! Or are they setting us up for disappointment? Today we answer your burning (still?) questions:

  • Is all of this hype warranted? Or is it distracting us from what’s actually important?

  • What qualities make a food Super and not just Great?

  • Does the food have to taste like shit in order to be classified as super?

Let’s dive in and see if these foods truly are Super Heroes or if they’re really Super Troopers in disguise.

Alright, let’s get into it meow.

The Superfood Origin Story

Superfoods claim to possess exceptional nutritional density, packing a concentrated punch of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds.

They are often associated with various health benefits, ranging from boosting immunity and promoting weight loss to enhancing cognitive function and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

But where did the term come from?

The first recorded use dates back to WWI as part of a marketing campaign by the United Fruit Company to promote bananas.

So the first use was a marketing campaign by one of the most ruthlessly evil corporations this country has ever seen a fruit company, to sell more bananas. But that’s only one example right? The other foods probably earned their time in the spotlight right?

How about Blueberries. They’re a nutritional powerhouse full of antioxidants and other disease fighting properties, right?

In 1991, a rating tool called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) was created by scientists from the National Institute on Aging and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):

  • It was used to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods.

  • The science was based on fairly weak associations but blueberries and other foods topping the list were heavily promoted as disease fighters, from cancer to brain health to heart disease.

  • The USDA eventually retracted the information and removed the database after determining that antioxidants have many functions, not all of which are related to free radical activity.

Though the original reason for their fame has been long forgotten, blueberry production doubled from 1998-2006 and has increased each and every year since.

2.5x Increase in 20 years

More rags to riches stories: 

3 swings, 3 marketing home runs.

So it’s all a marketing scam?

While some foods undeniably offer a range of nutrients and potential health benefits, the pop culture narrative surrounding them can sometimes exaggerate their virtues.

It's easy to get caught up in the idea that a single food can magically transform our health or provide a panacea for all our wellness woes. But the truth is, no single food can do it all, and no food should be regarded as a quick fix or a cure-all.

Food is not (despite some grifters gurus best efforts) medicine.

A downside of “superfoods” is that the title alone may cause people to focus on a few specific foods, blinding them to other equally nutritious options that aren’t as hyped. Variety in our diet is important.

Harvard School of Public Health

The Final Say

Sadly, the label of superfood is just a marketing term designed to get you to eat more of their product.

When we think of food industry marketing we usually jump to junk food companies & popular jingles. We don’t usually think of Big Blueberry having Don Draper on retainer.

But do you think any General Mills or Coca-Cola campaign has ever been as popular as 

“Got Milk?” or “Beef, it’s whats for dinner.”

Not likely.

Green leafy veggies, berries, & fatty fish are all excellent options to include in and build your diet around. But that doesn’t mean you should exclude other fruit, vegetables, or fish.

Around the Water Cooler

A new section where we share the latest and greatest articles from around the web so you can be more informed and talk smart with your coworkers. Like your very own research assistant.

Great Article

This fantastic article from GQ examines the competing theories of Energy Balance (Calories in Calories out) vs The Carbohydrate Insulin Model (Carbs & insulin drive fat storage).

The author, Michael Moss, argues (and this is going to surprise you) the answer is not simple, and that there are likely multiple factors involved. 🤯 

He cites research that suggests that both calories and the type of food consumed can play a role in weight gain. Moss also discusses the role of genetics and metabolism in obesity, and the challenges of losing weight and keeping it off.

Key Points:

  • Obesity is a complex problem with no easy solutions.

  • There are likely multiple factors that contribute to obesity, including calories, the type of food consumed, genetics, and metabolism.

  • Losing weight and keeping it off can be challenging, but it is possible.

  • The Carbohydrate Insulin Model of obesity seems to have been put to rest. Namely because new weight loss drugs work despite increasing insulin secretion.

Not so Great Article

We are officially requesting a wellness check on the short kings out there. Why?

Once reserved to correct leg length in those with limb discrepancies and women named Eileen (Sorry). The procedure has been gaining popularity among men dissatisfied with their height.

We are currently equal parts concerned with and amused by this. However after reading this Tweet thread, we were launched to the amused side as though we were a child on a see saw and a grown up bully jumped onto the other end. Because omg these replies

There’s a Spongebob for every occasion

The $75,000, four-hour operation, which is not generally covered by insurance, involves cutting the thigh bones in each leg and inserting rods inside them. Then over the next three to four months, the rods are lengthened by up to 1 millimeter (0.04 inches) per day, via an external remote control. New bone grows over the rods.

The thing of nightmares

But if you read that and thought holy shit that sounds like the worst thing in the world, nothing could ever lead me to want to go through that… don’t worry, it uh, does not get better.

Physical therapy is required: For four months following his surgery, Alex went four to five times per week and used a walker. As he regained his mobility, he switched to using a cane.

The final step of the process is removing the rods. Alex returned for that hourlong procedure a year after the first operation, and his insurance footed the $10,000 bill. In total, Alex estimated the whole process cost him $100,000.

Removing the rods the bone has grafted to… After a year of recovery you have to go back in and have the metal rods ripped from your bones. So you can be 5’7” instead of 5’4”? Cool cool cool.

We hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter and you have an amazing start to the week! Come back tomorrow for a newsletter packed to the gills with actionable advice on how to sneak more protein into your diet.