Although superfoods are often thought of as belonging to a category of exotic and often expensive foods like Maca, Lacuma or Camu Camu, you might be surprised that many of the common fruits and vegetables in your supermarket can actually be classified as a "super food" due to their vitamin, mineral, micronutrient content and other properties that have been shown to be beneficial to human health.
Some important points to remember:
Buy locally grown and organic whenever possible
Buy produce that is in season
Eat fresh produce as soon as possible for maximum health benefits
Eat at least 5 servings a day (recommended by U.S., EU and world health organizations)
Eat more servings for weight loss and detoxification
Eat a wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables - eating a daily "rainbow" is recommended
The top functional medicine physicians and holistic health experts agree: toxicity is a major contributing factor in weight gain, as well as the inability to lose weight. The general advise is to detox on a regular basis by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber - all of which are thought to block the absorption of and/or help remove various harmful environmental toxins from the body.
Conventionally Grown Produce and GMOs
Unfortunately, many nutrition experts believe that conventionally grown produce is part of the problem, not the solution.
Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are generally grown in soil that is depleted in naturally occurring minerals and are laden with a toxic cocktail of chemicals - herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and industrial fertilizers.
Consequently, conventionally grown produce is not only significantly less nutritious but often contains relatively large amounts of chemicals and toxins, many of which have been shown to be allergenic, carcinogenic and otherwise harmful to human health. Long term exposure (even in very low doses) to some of these toxins has been linked to nerve damage, cancer and birth defects.
Additionally, it is suspected that genetically modified crops (GMOs) are not safe for human consumption and yet it is estimated that up to 75% of foods sold in typical U.S. grocery markets contain GMO ingredients.
In view of these facts, it is easy to see how eating lots of conventionally grown produce can be harmful to one's health.
In a detox protocol calling for consumption of mostly fruits and vegetables, such as a juice cleanse, ingesting lots of conventionally grown produce can mean ingesting lots nutritionally bankrupt food and plenty of pesticides - this, of course, defeats the entire purpose of a cleanse which is to rid the body of toxins, regain health and lose some weight and excess fat!
Infographic
As this very excellent infographic entitled "Is Your Diet Toxic?" points out, there are a number of things you can do to obtain the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, to safeguard your detox or cleanse efforts and to otherwise protect yourself.
Tips for Detoxing and Cleansing
The first step is to become an informed consumer. Be aware of how food is grown and processed both here at home and in other countries that import food to the U.S.
Understand the difference between conventionally grown and organically grown. Choose locally grown, organic produce that is currently in season whenever possible - especially when it comes to the so-called "dirty dozen" (peaches, celery, strawberries, sweet bell pepper, spinach, nectarines, cherries, lettuce, apples, pears, imported grapes and potatoes).
Learn to read labels and avoid packaged (including packaged salad), processed, canned and frozen foods, many of which often contain hidden GMOs. Be aware that the term "all natural" is virtually meaningless.
Look for the specific country of origin of the food (i.e., where it was grown or processed) and be weary of labels that say "packed by", "distributed by", "manufactured for" - labels like these give no indication of where the food really came from.
The large, well-shapen, shiny and cheaper apple at the grocery store may be beautiful, and it may look to be nutritious - especially when compared to the smaller, often misshapen apples in the organic produce aisle or at the local Farmer's Market.
But, as this infographic entitled "Why Eat the Ugly Apple?" points out, beautiful in appearance is generally not better for your health. Not when it comes to apples or other fruits and vegetables.
Conventionally grown produce (and other foods including meat and dairy) often travels hundreds (even thousands) of miles from other states and countries. It can be weeks or even months old by the time it reaches the grocery shelf. It is often laden with preservatives. In the case of apples, most are waxed and not all wax is safe.
