How To Magnify Your Meal

There are certain natural foods that offer higher nutrients than others, but how do we know which to choose? Anna King Shahab looks at how we can make choices that are backed by science.

- Anna King Shahab

The word superfood has somewhat lost its shine thanks to being thrown about so much over the past decade or more. It’s easy to feel cynical about each new ‘it’ ingredient, because no one food can cure us of all ills and the prevailing wisdom never changes – the best diet is a varied and balanced one. But the fact is, not all foods are created equal. Just as we can choose to avoid foods we know aren’t going to do us any good, we can also choose to opt for ones that we know are going to do us good. And increasingly, we can make those positive choices not just on a hunch – or because mum always told us broccoli was good for us – but based on what science tells us. Science is now commonly being called upon to prove there are some foods that stand out in the crowd.

The ‘new’ superfoods

There are certain natural ingredients that have comparatively high levels of nutrients – such as purple-coloured vegetables rich in antioxidant anthocyanins. There are differences in breed/ variety and provenance that can lead to higher nutrition – such as New Zealand wagyu beef that is 100% grass-fed, which has been shown to boast more omega-3s. And, increasingly, there are foods that are specifically formulated to deliver nutrition above the essentials – ‘functional foods’ as they're known. They could contain powerful combinations of nutrient-rich ingredients, or may feature beneficial additions like probiotics, or bioactives like antioxidant phenols.