What is a superfood and why are they so healthy?

You may have wondered why some foods are characterized as superfoods, while others, which otherwise seem very healthy, do not receive the same recognition. Few people understand what it really takes for a food to be classified as a superfood. 

The most common explanation you often hear is that superfoods are nutritious and really good for your health. But I can promise you that there are good reasons why these particular foods are called superfoods.

The main reasons why a food is considered a superfood

The primary reason for characterizing a food as a superfood is its nutritional consistency, i.e. the ratio between the amount of nutrients and the number of calories. A food is designated as a superfood when it has a high content of nutrients in relation to its calorie content.

There is a specific measurement system called ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index). It was developed by physician Joel Fuhrman in the late 1990s and updated in 2012. ANDI evaluates 23 different nutrients in a single food, including antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. Foods are rated on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 1000 (highest).

Another measurement system that nutritionists use is ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity)ORAC measures a food's ability to fight free radicals, i.e. its antioxidant activity. The higher the ORAC value, the greater the antioxidant strength.
For example, an orange has an ORAC value of approximately 3,000, blueberries have 6,500, while goji berries top out at a whopping 25,000.

Sweet potatoes are a superfood

Sweet potatoes are considered a superfood because they are packed with vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A (beta-carotene). Beta-carotene is good for the skin, eyes, and immune system. Sweet potatoes also contain vitamin C, calcium, and fiber. They have a high nutrient-to-calorie ratio, making them a healthy food to include in your diet for variety.

In addition, sweet potatoes contain antioxidants, which protect the body against free radicals and inflammatory conditions.

Sweet potatoes also have a low glycemic index, which means they are good for regulating blood sugar levels. They don't cause blood sugar levels to spike quickly, even though they taste sweet.

Sweet potatoes also contain what is called slow-digesting fiber. Once in the gut, they act as prebiotics and help maintain the good bacteria in the gut. This is essential for healthy digestion and a well-functioning immune system.

Sweet potatoes taste amazing! You can bake, boil, mash or make fries out of them. See my recipe with sweet potatoes here: How to use sweet potatoes.

Superfoods and the body's pH balance

Next, superfoods generally help the body maintain a good pH value. What is called pH is actually a measure of how acidic or basic something is. Our body naturally needs a good balance between acid and base to function optimally. A good pH balance in the body is important as it protects the body and prevents disease.

It is also important to remember that the foods we eat have a major impact on our pH level. It is therefore recommended to choose more foods that have an alkaline effect on the body.

It is also crucial to know that not all foods that taste sour are necessarily acid-forming in the body, it is not necessarily related that way. For example, lemons taste sour when you eat them, but when they enter the body and meet the enzymes, they become alkaline and thus help the body balance the pH level.

Basically, you should make sure to eat a healthy and varied diet so that acid-forming foods do not exceed alkaline foods.