It seems that every few months the Television, Radio, and Newspapers inform us of the new "Superfood".  Noni, Goji, Acai, Blueberries, Cranberries, Quinoa, Kale, Seaweeds..., as well as old standbys like Oat, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Beans, etc... 

It is hard to keep a scorecard of what we should be eating anymore.  And in the months following the "breakthrough" news, we usually start to see advertisements and infomercials for bottled products, pills and other supplements that promise us concentrated amounts of whatever new superfood the mass marketers happen to be pushing, then we start to see a proliferation of products in our supermarket, drug and health food stores.

There is evidence that these and many other foods are very good for us.  The issue confronting us is how to best incorporate these great foods in our diet in a manner that would be most beneficial for us.

I am by no means a nutritionist or an expert, just a concerned consumer and avid learner.  Many fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals, anti-oxidants, polyphenols  and phytonutrients as well as fibre.  A health practitioner told me many years ago that it is not good enough to consume the nutrients we need, we need to consume it in a way that our body can absorb and use it.  Consuming pills with huge amounts of vitamins and minerals are not nearly as effective as we imagine if these vitamins and minerals are not being absorbed by our bodies and simply eliminated from our digestive systems.  Our bodies cannot assimilate all nutrients in any form.  What can look great on a label, might not be readily absorbed if we consume it.

There seems to be a debate raging whether isolating a particular nutrient is as good for you as is the nutrient contained in the whole fruit or vegetable.  For me, the choice is clear, I will choose the whole fruit and vegetables every time.

The problem with processing fruit or vegetables to isolate ingredients is that, as consumers, we are unaware of the decrease in efficacy of these ingredients once they have been processed.  Light, heat, manufacturing, added chemicals, travel time can all have an effect on the value of nutrients, and we are often not educated as to the effect.

If we can choose fruit and/or vegetable picked ripe and consumed as fresh as possible, it would seem that this would be much more preferable.  Quickly freezing fresh ripe food is a close second choice.

Including a variety of fruits and vegetables and learning how to incorporate a greater variety into our diets is another good habit we can adopt.

Choose whole fruit and vegetables over juices, especially process juices.  Many of the elements of the manufacturing process, such as heat-pasteurization and added chemicals and preservatives can kill nutrients and lessen the value of the food.  If you really prefer juice, make it from fresh or flash-frozen fruit or vegetables.

Dried fruits, which can be a concentrated source of nutrients and a better choice than some alternatives, can contain chemicals used for drying and processing as well as mold spores.  Avoid them if you have mold allergies and/or frequent yeast infections.