06:21 EST, 7 April 2014
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08:13 EST, 7 April 2014
Warning: Kale juice, a favourite of healthy eater Gwyneth Paltrow, may cause thyroid problems
They are hailed as the key to health, but so-called superfoods may do more harm than good, a nutrition expert has warned.
Foods such as Gillian McKeith’s favourite goji berries, quinoa and kale can cause a host of problems from thyroid malfunction to arthritis flare-ups, says Petronella Ravisheer.
Writing in this month’s Vogue, she says: ‘My only comment about these foods is that they should be avoided’.Â
She goes on to explain that kale – a favourite among celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow – and increasingly used in ‘green smoothies’ can ‘interfere with thyroid function’ when eaten raw.
Eating too many grains such as quinoa, regardless of how healthy they are – can cause an overload of potentially gut-irritating compounds.
This may be because it may not be as wheat-free as originally thought.
Meanwhile goji berries are rich in a chemical compound that increases the risk of a digestive syndrome condition called ‘leaky gut’.
Research last year found that 61
per cent of people have bought a food or drink because it had been
labelled as a superfood.
But the British Dietetic Association has warned that many products give us false expectations of the benefits or are not fully substantiated.
For example, you would need to drink 13 servings of goji berry juice to get as many antioxidants as one red apple.
Ms Ravisheer adds that chia seeds – another celebrity favourite – can also cause gut problems.
Although high in protein and omega-3, they swell up to a
gelatinous mass in the stomach.
While this may help curb the appetite, they are also high in phytates – (antioxidant compounds that have the
potential to inhibit the absorption of certain mineral, says Ms Ravisheer.Â
Not so suepr: Goji berries are rich in a chemical compound that increases the risk of a digestive syndrome condition called ‘leaky gut’, a nutrition expert has warned
And goji berries? ‘Consume
with caution, especially if you
have arthritis, and instead eat blueberries, raspberries,strawberries
and blackberries for antioxidants – and a better taste,’ she advises.
Ms Ravisheer said: ‘Their [superfoods] appeal is easy to
understand: we all long for a magic bullet for weight loss,
detoxification and general rejuvenation, and we worry about how much
nutrition there is in modern farmed food, so we seek out superfoods to
fill the potential nutritional gaps.’
‘Many
are rediscovered foods of the ancients, adding an extra layer of
intrigue to their stories – cacao from the Mayans and Aztecs, amaranth
and quinoa from the Incas.
‘Often best avoided’: Chia seeds (left) can stop the absorption of minerals while quinoa (right) can irritate the gut, it has been claimed
‘They
might be exotic and packed full of promise, but do we need to eat
little-known berries from far-flung places or the foods of ancient
civilisations to stay well? Superfoods notwithstanding, their lives were
short and brutal; the average Aztec lived for 37 years.
‘And
who’s to say they might not have preferred a comforting carrot and
chicken casserole to another bowl of quinoa or chia seeds? They simply
ate what they could find, and fished and hunted when they got the
chance.’
Mr Ravisheer’s opinions appear in a piece in this month’s Vogue magazine
So what should we be eating? Ms Ravisheer goes on to explain that at the end of last year, experts at the Institute for Functional Medicine conference voted for the following foods: avocado,
spinach, seaweed, pomegranate, blueberries, broccoli (and all
cruciferous vegetables), grass-fed buffalo/beef, wild Alaskan salmon,
almonds, coconut oil, olive oil and green tea.
However, some experts have an even stronger stance. Last year, a leading scientist said fashionable anti-cancer superfoods and supplements do not prevent the disease and may even cause it.
James Watson – who helped discover the structure of DNA – said the cure for many cancers will remain elusive unless scientists rethink the role of antioxidants, which include vitamin pills and food such as blueberries and broccoli.
It is widely believed that superfoods boost health and fight cancer by mopping up oxygen molecules called free radicals.
But Dr Watson argues these free radicals may be key to preventing and treating cancer – and depleting the body of them may be counter-productive.
He said a vast number of studies had found antioxidants including vitamins A, C and E and the mineral selenium, to have ‘no obvious effectiveness’ in preventing stomach cancer or in lengthening life.
Instead, they seem to slightly shorten the lives of those who take them, and vitamin E may be particularly dangerous.
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Greenburg Santos,
Richmond, United States,
moments ago
Well that’s it DM, I’m going on a diet of ice cubes.
swkids3,
New Jersey,
moments ago
Give me a break. Who pays these people for these findings?
Bonnie,
Johannesburg,
7 minutes ago
The Good Book recommends everything in moderation. Don’t go to extremes, enjoy your food and get plenty of exercise. Stop worrying about the chemical compound of each morsel. If you follow a healthy lifestyle and don’t overindulge, your body will very likely “tell†you what to eat. Pay attention!
estelle79,
somewhere, United States,
22 minutes ago
It is pretty amazing to me that Doctors still make such sweeping generalizations, just as it boggles the mind that Anybody would take these generalizations and automatically adopt their view as their own.
GRANDAD65,
SCOTLAND,
29 minutes ago
And what does CHEMOTHERAPY and RADIOTHERAPY do to the human body..By the way Mickey Rooney just died, he was 96 I wonder what his lifestyle was like..
Amy,
Aylesbury,
29 minutes ago
“Superfood†– a meaningless marketing term used to sell fruit and vegetables based on natural benefits they provide but faux artistically revealed to the masses as something amazing and new that they simply ‘must-have’ (another term I despise, incidentally). Ignore the scaremongering. Too much of anything can have negative effects – too many carrots in your diet will give your skin an orange tint. If eating something disagrees with you, don’t eat it. Everything else, eat in moderation and enjoy it.
lucytaylor,
newport, United States,
30 minutes ago
If you are going to quote a nutritionist it would be a good start to at least get their NAME right!! Her name is Petronella Ravenshear…..NOT Ravisheer………Where DO the DM get their ‘so called’ Journalists from these days?
Don Keeballs,
Port Stanley Falkland Islands,
33 minutes ago
Scientists believe ?
keesha99x,
miami, United States,
35 minutes ago
Just too dang super?
Ambellina,
CA US,
37 minutes ago
I have an auto immune disease. Kale is too high in vitamin k for me. It all depends on the person. Quinoa can cause the same issues as gluten, that also depends on your own personal sensitivity.
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