Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon L.), the only superfruit
with a health claim (but only in France)
[follow the Wikipedia links]
While visiting the grocery store or shopping online, let's keep 5 things in mind
1. choose whole foods if possible
(processed foods and juices diminish nutrient contents)
2. buy using color as a guide
(richer colors = richer nutrient and phytochemical content)
3. superfruits have richer contents of dietary (especially prebiotic) fiber and vitamin C (buy foods with edible skins and seeds, and chew them! -- like berries)
4. buy fruits with good research foundation (consult authoritative sources; check out the current list of established and emerging superfruits by searching the background for each on Wikipedia)
5. make sure the fruits you choose are fresh, dried, frozen or canned (see the list at the bottom of this article, above the mango picture) and have appealing taste to assure continuing use by your family members -- we're trying to build long-term habits.
This is not a one-time experiment!
Synopsis of what you'll find in this essay
Superfruit is simply a marketing term used by any manufacturer wishing to give its product advertising glow. You won't find this word in any scientific report.
If used under "best possible scientific" definition, it would mean a given fruit has:
1. extraordinary nutrient richness and diverse range of nutrients
2. high content of antioxidant phytochemicals (mostly pigments, so the fruit has rich color)
3. sufficient medical research evidence pointing toward eventual proof of human health benefits
4. performance in the market showing that consumer interest is high
5. appealing taste, fragrance and appearance ... or consumers will not be repeat buyers.
** Children's preferences are important market indicators because there is evidence for increasing favor by children toward fruits for snacks, click!
These definitions, however, do not help a typical shopper while choosing products in the grocery store.
Spoon yourself some color!
Let color be your guide for putting superfruits into your diet.
The more color, the better the possible benefit.
What medical research backs up use of
superfruits as healthy for my family?
You won't find the word superfruit in medical literature or in doctor's office literature.
It's a new marketing term started around 2005 and used often in the manufacturing industry for functional foods and nutraceuticals where marketers are trying to create an edge for selling their products.
Read the Wikipedia article on superfruits, click!
Part 3
The Path to Health Claims
If fruits really are "super", shouldn't they be farthest along in the rigorous process that ends with a claim important to human health?
Scientists would want it this way, knowing that years of research and discovery have defined a fruit well enough to qualify it for clinical trials which, upon conclusive results, would demonstrate a fruit (or a fruit component) effective against a specific disease -- earning it health claim status by the FDA.
That whole process is called significant scientific agreement (SSA) which convinces regulatory authorities of confirmation among scientists about health effects of taking a food, supplement or drug.
If you're really into understanding this process, click the link for an extensive FDA document on SSA.
Where do superfruits stand in gathering SSA on the path to health claims?
Have a look at this table, a subjective summary.
Progress of superfruits toward SSA and health claims
(numbers are ranks from 0 for no progress to 5 for near health claim approval)
Fruit |
Basic research status* |
Clinical trial status* |
Total current SSA* |
Projected year of health claim approval
|
| Açaí |
1 |
0 |
1 |
> 2018 |
| Blueberry |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2014 |
| Cranberry |
4 |
4 |
4 |
2013 |
| Red Grape |
4 |
3 |
4 |
2012 |
| Goji (wolfberry) |
2 |
0 |
1 |
> 2018 |
| Mango |
3 |
0 |
2 |
> 2018 |
| Papaya |
3 |
0 |
2 |
> 2018 |
| Pomegranate |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2013 |
| Seaberry |
2 |
0 |
1 |
> 2018 |
* subjective ranks, 0 = low, 4-5 = high
Summarizing in simple words
- blueberry, cranberry, red grape and pomegranate have sufficient SSA and current clinical trial activity to estimate that each will earn a health claim within the next 6 years
- all the rest need 10+ years of more research to gain significant scientific agreement before reaching health claim evaluation
Meanwhile, there are hints from granted FDA health claims of what nutrients are needed.
Such as these two familiar statements (bold italics) appearing on product labels and health advisories
- Health claims: fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and risk of coronary heart disease. Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain some types of dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, may reduce the risk of heart disease, a disease associated with many factors.
- Health claims: fruits and vegetables and cancer. Low fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables (foods that are low in fat and may contain dietary fiber, Vitamin A, or Vitamin C) may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors. Broccoli is high in vitamin A and C, and it is a good source of dietary fiber.
What plants have nutrient criteria
to qualify as superfruits?
Not many.
Here's a partial list based on available nutrient and phytochemical analyses with sufficient amounts of published research.
[follow the Wikipedia links]
Mango (Mangifera indica L.).
A great package of superfruit nutrients.
Practice the Color Code in how you shop and prepare snacks and meals!
One author, Dr. Jim Joseph, is a USDA scientist.
Click the image to launch Amazon.com where inexpensive copies are available
Here's a list of color-rich fruits and vegetables for getting "superfruit nutrients" into your diet!
Remember -- plant foods don't have to be only fresh to obtain significant nutrient content: dried, frozen and canned products are fine!
Red: strawberries, red raspberries, goji berries, tomatoes, red bell peppers
Orange-yellow: mangoes, oranges, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin
Blue-Purple:
Blue-Purple: blueberries, Concord or black grapes, black plums and prunes, blackberries, purple cabbage
Green (white): grapes, kiwifruit, spinach, broccoli
From the above list, you not only get color,
you get prebiotic fiber!
Reading
* See the Wikipedia article on superfruits, click!
* Superfruits take center stage in the functional foods industry
|
