Consumed for thousands of years by indigenous communities, superfoods have reached our pantries in the last times. They are mostly natural and raw foods that stand out for their high nutritional value.
Superfood consumption
“In recent years consumption has increased because the citizen looks for natural sources of supplementation”, he explains to Bio Eco Current Sea Molinaresponsible of linwoods for the Spanish market, a pioneering company specializing in the marketing of cold-ground seeds. “Despite the increase in competition, we have had an increase in sales in the last year of 5.8% in the Spanish market, in which we have been for 13 years.”
Superfoods in Spain
Consumption of branded superfoods iswari, present in Spain since 2012, also continues to increase year after year. “The consumer is increasingly aware of what he eats, he always tries to consume less processed products and understands that ‘it is what he eats'”, he explains. Tiago Vilela, the company’s marketing director. “The pandemic came to reinforce sales of products that provide more benefits to the immune system, while others have lowered their consumption, such as snacks,” he adds.
In the same line, it moves diego sanchezbrand manager of The Comprehensive Barna company brand Biogran, which started developing its own superfoods in 2015. “It’s a category that grows every year. This is because it meets the expectations of a consumer who is increasingly concerned about their health and more informed on a nutritional level. With the pandemic, health concerns have obviously increased, in addition to consumption at home, which favors the growth of this category, which includes spices and plants, algae, vegetable proteins, and our range of vitaseeds ground seeds” .
How has the coronavirus affected?
“After the arrival of COVID-19, the consumption of superfoods has increased significantly. The fact that our health is in danger has made many more people opt for a healthy diet, and superfoods are a good ally for this”, he says. Mary Villanuevaresponsible for the communication department of natural sun, a company that launched this type of product a couple of years ago. “Their consumption has increased in recent years. Its beneficial effects, which are not miraculous, are becoming more and more known. To notice the effects of superfoods it is necessary to take them daily and lead a healthy life.
Basically there are 4 groups of superfoods: protein, stimulants, detox and antioxidants.
Superfoods are not a panacea, but including them in the daily diet provides health benefits. Flax and chia seeds, goji berries, moringa, broccoli, turmeric, avocado, ginger, açaí, guarana, camu-camu, kale, kuzu, maca, matcha… are some of the new and exotic foods that occupy the shelves of the food stores.
“In Spain there was already a culture of using flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, but not in cold grinding. Now the consumer has an easy and convenient solution to incorporate them into their daily life and thus obtain a series of nutrients that they cannot obtain naturally in their diet”, says Molina. “Furthermore, if they are ground, you assimilate them more quickly and easily and they are digested much better, guaranteeing the preservation of their nutritional properties.”
Benefits
Superfoods have a high concentration of antioxidants, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. “Being well nourished is a health necessity; Currently there is the paradox of being overfed (excess calories, sugars, unhealthy fats, salt, additives…) but malnourished (lack of vitamins, minerals, fiber…) which can lead to chronic diseases. Selecting the right foods and enjoying them may be the key to reversing this paradox. And here comes our super foods“, Explain Vanessa Leonnutritionist of Biogran.
Vilela comments: “The most important thing about superfoods is that they are really good for your health. They provide a high content of micronutrients as they are full of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. This allows us to generally improve physical health and mental well-being, strengthens our immune system and reduces the risk of diseases such as cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, hypertension or cancer, among others, and also helps us detoxify by improving performance, increasing vitality and making us feel rejuvenated”.
They provide a high content of micronutrients as they are full of vitamins, minerals and trace elements
Villanueva explains: “We are committed to superfoods because we really believe in the benefits they can bring to our health. Of course, to make the most of its potential, its use must go hand in hand with a healthy diet. It is useless to take turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties, if your diet is based on ultra-processed foods. And he adds: “Although all superfoods have high nutritional value in common, each one contains different properties and can benefit us in different ways. For this reason it is important to know them and choose the ones that best complement us according to our specific needs. There are basically 4 groups: the protein -such as hemp seeds and pea protein-, stimulants -maca, cocoa, guarana-, detox -wheatgrass, chlorella and spirulina-, and antioxidants -acai, mathca and moringa-“.
When incorporating superfoods into our diet, it is also important that they have organic certification, as recommended by nutritionist León: “Organic foods allow us to cover nutritional needs with less impact on fauna, flora, soil, water and ultimately on the planet. They provide quality nutrients without pesticides or pesticides, while some studies confirm that organically grown foods provide a greater amount of polyphenols, carotenoids and other antioxidant substances”.
