Spirulina, Chlorella, Coconut oil, Cacao, Maca Root, Goji berries and Bee Pollen. Superfoods?

examine.com is a really good resource to check out supplements. It's knowledge and research based - not based on trying to separate the naïve from their hard earned money.

No I don't take any of those listed.
My (unsolicited) advice would be to concentrate on an overall healthy diet and not rely on hyped miracle supplements.

I use local bee pollen - I find it helps with allergies. Might be a placebo effect. Doesn't do anything for weight loss though.

Darton2010 wrote: »

Hey everyone,

Let me know if any of this stuff is great or over rated. Have you had luck with any of it?

How do you incorporate it into your diet?

Just figured I would ask before I waste my money on over rated products. Thanks

John

Spirulina, Chlorella, Coconut oil, Cacao, Maca Root, Goji berries, Bee Pollen, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with "Mother"

I hesitate to respond to this post, since I'm sure there are many people much smarter than me who will jump in to disagree.

With that said, I typically take the following daily: Cod Liver Oil for Omega 3 to aid heart/brain health, and Spirulina /Chorella for chlorophyll to help maintain cell membranes (if memory serves me, I think chlorophyll helps cells maintain elasticity as we age).

In answer to your question: Do I feel a big difference from these? No. Do I think they are providing some health benefit? Yes, or I wouldn't buy them.

I also include coconut oil and/or cacao occasionally, (cause I enjoy eating both) but I really rely on Epsom Salt baths to provide me with magnesium. I definitely feel relief in my leg muscles after a 15-20 minute Epsom Salt soak. I typically do this after my long runs on weekends.

Summary: My goal is to try to eat a high quality diet that and provides lots of energy, so I can continue to be very active as I age. (I'm 59). I don't believe the items I mentioned will provide any SUPERFOOD benefit to me in losing fat or gaining muscle. That is not my intent in taking them. I do believe that they can be helpful as part of my long term effort to eat a diet that provides me with the best health possible as I age.

Cacao: I buy it because I really like the taste of it. I don't consider it to be any more nutritionally effective than cocoa powder, a food that we already know to be rich in vitamins and antioxidants. I like it in smoothies and mixed with mashed sweet potatoes.

Maca root: I put this in smoothies sometimes -- it has some vitamins and fiber and it adds a malty taste that I really enjoy.

Coconut oil: I love the taste and texture of coconut oil. It's amazing to saute vegetables or for desserts.

I don't really pay much attention to whether or not something is a superfood, but I enjoy these foods enough to make them worth it for me. My diet is varied enough in vitamin-rich foods that I wouldn't even begin to know if these specific foods "made a difference" for me. I'm usually eating different foods everyday, so I would just have to go by how I felt the day after and that doesn't seem like a very rational way to determine if they have an actual benefit.

"Superfoods" is just good, clever marketing. That's not to say that there aren't good nutritional properties in these things...but "superfood" is just marketing.

I use coconut oil regularly as I enjoy the flavor...I also use olive oil, avocado oil, and butter a lot as well. Ironically, not so long ago, coconut oil was one of the greatest dietary demons on the planet...so much so that movie theaters were required to stop using it for their popcorn...now it's a "superfood"...go figure.

I eat a pretty healthy and varied diet...it would be impossible to say if any "superfood" made any difference whatsoever...while I don't consume much of which is on your list, I do consume many other "superfoods"...like avocados, blueberries, etc...I consume them because I like them, not because I'm convinced that they have super powers.

I use coconut oil on most days. I eat for ketosis and the MCTs in coconut oil help me achieve that.

I love cacao with nuts. Less sugar and a chocolaty treat.

Years ago I used to use bee pollen to sweeten my oatmeal.

Superfood us just a buzzword to market items.

That being said, I love coconut oil for both cooking and my beauty routine, and raw cacao nibs in my banana ice cream are my jam.

I've tried them ALL, I went through a natural phase... The only two I stuck with are coconut oil and Bee pollen. I use coconut oil in my smoothies sometimes, and bee pollen completely eradicated my hay fever, no more sneezing fits and runny eyes and nose all day.

Maca tasted disgusting and i ended throwing it away, same with ACV, after a while i couldn't face drinking it anymore! It completely turned me off vinegar of any sort.

Darton2010 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Darton2010 wrote: »

And thanks for the replies, I just wanted to throw the definition of super food out.

A superfood can essentially be classified as any food item that contains an extremely dense concentration of vital nutrients, vitamins and/or minerals, as well as antioxidants, good fats, healthy enzymes, or other healthy properties that help to treat, lower the risk of or prevent specific diseases and maladies.

I'm mainly after foods that are dense Nutrients, Vitamins ext ext. I don't expect anything to be used as a medicine or be life changing, just adding to the diet. Please don't get hung up on the commercial term "Superfood"

If you're mainly after foods that are nutrient dense, just eat mostly whole foods...get in your servings of veg and fruit daily...eat whole grains, legumes, lentils, whole food starches like potatoes and sweet potatoes and other root vegetables...eat lean sourced protein and healthy fat...

You specifically picked foods that are included in this commercial list of "superfoods", so I don't know how it can't be in the discussion...but frankly, I wouldn't worry about whether or not a goji berry has slightly more antioxidants or something than some other berry that's not on the list...just eat a lot of whole foods.

I put them in the list because those are all stuff I have never tried or tasted before, there more "exotic" and not usually found in the grocery store. Before I specifically go on the hunt for them I decided to come here instead.

Coconut oil isn't exotic at all, and is at every grocery store I've been to. It's currently annoyingly faddish, but it's quite taste and IMO tastes better with some things than olive oil (which I use more often) or butter. I don't think it's more "nutrient dense" than other oils, but there's nothing wrong with it. I feel exactly the same on days when I use coconut oil as on days I solely use olive oil or butter -- none of them are such a major part of my calories that it should matter.

Haven't tried any of the other things (except I've had goji berries in a few things, not things I made at home). I really like ACV, but not for "medicinal" or nutrient purposes and haven't tried it with the mother. I eat tons of fermented things and yogurt, so don't feel compelled to seek out other things like that just because.