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No Magic Bullets

April 27, 2009 on 4:06 pm | In Main Category | 1 Comment

As I write this, I’m sipping red wine, nibbling on some dark chocolate and popping Hoodia. I expect to live forever, thin and cancer-free. I’m kidding, of course but it’s only a slight exaggeration to say that each new day seems to bring news of another miracle food, guaranteed to grow hair, shrink bellies and prolong life. Acai is the latest wonder food to be foisted upon us and, as is often the case when it comes to “too good to be true,” the news is exactly that:

There’s some dispute as to whether acai juice has more antioxidants than the juice of other fruits; the Washington-based food industry watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest notes that acai is only a middling source of antioxidants, providing more than, say, apple juice, but less than pomegranate or Concord grape juice.

You can read the whole story, here. And to the larger issue, are there short cuts when it comes to nutrition? Well, yes and no, there is probably no single food item that will absolve you of your nutritional transgressions but there are some neat rules of thumb you can follow:

Eat the rainbow – eating fruits and vegetables of every available hue is a good way to ensure that you are receiving the most possible vitamins and nutrients.

Get the white out – which is to say, eat more whole grains and less refined flours. So, swap whole grain pasta for white pasta, whole grain bread for white bread and brown rice for white rice.

Moderation is the key – controlling portion size can be tough and we were all taught to clean our plate. Add in our tendency to eat on the go and you have the makings of an overeating nightmare. Step one is to slooooow down, give your brain time to get the message from your stomach that you are full; it’s just oo easy to eat way past the point of being stuffed.

These are just a few helpful tips and we’ll look to post more over time. Until then, beware of anything that markets itself as a “superfood.” Can it fly? Does it have x-ray vision? No? Then it’s not a super food.

Posted by: Dan