When you’re feeling hungry, what foods do you gravitate towards? Although found in many foods, most of us don’t get enough antioxidants in our diets—even though this can be an easy fix through simple additions to your routine. Antioxidants are powerful substances that protect against free radicals (molecules in your body that contain oxygen and can influence harmful large scale reactions) which in turn protects you against various diseases and illnesses. Plenty of delicious foods are high in antioxidants, many of which are fruits and veggies, so it shouldn’t be difficult to consume enough. And yet, many people are putting themselves at risk by not getting enough of these nutrients. One place to find an abundance of antioxidants and other vitamins is in superfood supplements.
What Are Superfood Supplements?
Superfood supplements are pretty straightforward products—they are composed of various superfoods that have been condensed from their original form into highly concentrated versions. They include powders, liquids, tablets, capsules, or any other ingestible product. Supplements are highly effective because although they drastically reduce the size of the ingredients you’re eating, they retain the vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants of the superfoods, giving you a more potent dosage than you could otherwise receive. The question, then, is: What exactly are superfoods?
What Are Superfoods?
Aside from having a fun name that likens them to superheroes, superfoods are powerful ingredients that offer incredible health benefits but not a lot of calories. Therefore, you are encouraged by health experts to eat a diet packed with an array of superfoods to ensure you’re eating well and getting lots of vitamins and minerals. Aside from being richly nutrient dense, superfoods provide a wide range of unique benefits, from aiding in digestion, providing mental clarity, and strengthening the immune system, to protecting you from common health risks, and supporting your body from the inside out.
Superfoods span across multiple food groups; although most of them are plant based ingredients, a few powerful animal based products make the list as well. Some popular superfoods you can’t help but love are kale, blueberries, acai, spinach, goji berries, oats, beets, salmon, matcha, flaxseeds, eggs, and pomegranates. But there are also plenty of superfoods that are either less well known or not understood to be superfoods. These include tea, spirulina, lemon balm, dandelion, maca, quinoa, soybeans, squash, chicory root, and the assorted fungi reishi and lion’s mane.
One fairly consistent feature across superfoods is that they have a strong color. As you may already know, richly colored fruits and veggies usually indicate that they are packed with antioxidants.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Superfood Supplements?
You probably already recognize a lot of foods you love on the superfoods list (although there are many more not mentioned), but does that mean you eat enough of them? Doctors and other health advisors strongly recommend that everyone incorporate as many superfoods into their diets as they can each and every day. An easy way to ensure you’re getting enough nutrients and antioxidants is to ingest your superfoods in supplement form. Let’s go over the pros and cons of superfood supplements.
Pro: They’re An Easy Way to Ensure You’re Consuming Enough Antioxidants
Knowing that most of us don’t eat enough antioxidants is concerning, especially since they can be found in so many different delicious foods. Superfood supplements can put your worry at rest. When you take your daily dosage, you know you’re fueling your body with incredible vitamins and minerals that will help you in the short term and in the long run. Our favorite way to take superfood supplements is through superfoods powder that can be added to meals, smoothies, liquids, desserts, or even made into a warm or iced beverage!
Pro: The Plant Powered Ingredients Are Clean and Available to Everyone
Because the majority of superfoods are plant based, anyone can eat them and receive their health benefits. For those of you who are avoiding animal products, simply check your supplement to ensure it doesn’t include any animal-based superfood ingredients. Most superfood supplements use only the best plant products that can be consumed by everybody.
Con: Some Supplements Sneak Unnecessary Additives In
A con of superfood supplements is that if you buy from a brand that doesn’t place wellness at the forefront of their mission, you might end up consuming a less potent product due to unnecessary additive ingredients like sugar, dairy, or caffeine. Extra fillers not only take away from the power of the antioxidant ingredients, but they also don’t offer any health benefits themselves; choosing the wrong brand could even negatively impact you if you’re consuming their products daily. You can avoid this issue by selecting a supplement brand that cares about your health first and foremost, and includes only the good stuff in their products.
Takeaway
Now that you know all about superfoods, it’s your opportunity to consume more powerful antioxidants by selecting a superfood supplement and being consistent with your daily dosage. You’ll feel the effects through energy, clarity, relaxation, or just a general healthy feeling!
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