Next we'll go into what these statements actually mean in real terms.
When a food is "nutritionally dense", it means that the food has high concentrations of vitamins and dietary minerals that we recognise as being good for us.
That includes all the vitamins we know so well such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, and also dietary minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc and others. But these things are found in many different foods already.
All foods contain at least some of the vitamins and minerals in varying quantities, so what's this all about?
They big difference is that superfoods have an unusually high concentration of nutrients for their size, when looked at alongside normal foods. For example, the humble cucumber is mostly - 90% or thereabouts - water, so to get any significant levels of nutrients from a cucumber you'd have to eat a whole one. Or two!
With superfoods you can eat a mouthful and it will provide a large dose of nutrients, occasionally providing as much as you need in a single day, in a single bite. Now that's super! Not many foods show such high levels of nutrients in such small quantities, and that's why superfoods are so exciting. They can provide nutrition like you've never felt before.
OK next up, antioxidants and phytochemicals. These are some big words, so let's discuss them both.
Let's start with antioxidants. These are naturally occurring chemicals which prevent oxidation inside the body. Oxidation is basically damage caused to cells when they react with oxygen. It is this damage which is linked to all sorts of nasties including premature ageing, degenerative diseases and some cancers.
Antioxidants prevent the damage from oxidation by interfering with the chemical reaction and stopping it from happening at all, and therefore in theory cut down any unwanted effects. A common antioxidant you will be aware of is vitamin C (otherwise known as ascorbic acid).
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds found in animals and plants, which are not yet recognised as being an essential vitamin or dietary mineral. As humans we require some vitamins and dietary minerals for the various chemical processes inside our bodies to work properly - that's why they're called "essential", whereas we're only just starting to fully comprehend the uses and benefits of phytochemicals.
A large part of the suggested power of superfoods (such as anti-cancer, anti-heart disease, anti-ageing and so on) is down to the various phytochemicals found inside them. So, not only do superfoods contain astronomical levels of essential vitamins and dietary minerals, they also have all the extra antioxidants and phytochemicals which come with astonishing possible benefits!
To summarise: We are human, and so we require various essential vitamins and minerals to live. Without these essential nutrients, our bodies break down and we become ill. Now we're uncovering powerful new nutrients which can help to further boost our health and protect us from old age and disease.
Superfoods are foods which mix of all this goodness at once, and they taste great too - even more reason to start including superfoods as part of a healthy diet.
