Posted on: Wednesday, August 6, 2008
TASTE
'Superfruits' subject to superhype
By Barbara Quinn
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Perhaps you've heard about amazing health benefits of what food processors now refer to as "superfruits." In some cases, these foods are beneficial. But superfruits also demand super prices - sometimes 20 times higher than "traditional" fruit.
In many cases, anecdotal information is rampant while research is lacking.
If you can afford to eat the latest trendy fruit, go for it. But don't dismiss locally grown, brightly pigmented fruits and vegetables; they are always healthy choices.
Some observations:
Noni is a white fruit grown on Pacific islands and in Southeast Asia, known to be especially high in vitamin C and potassium. Like other fruits and vegetables, noni is also an excellent source of various health- promoting phytochemicals. Noni has been reported to interact with certain medications, including warfarin, a blood thinner. It has also been shown to stimulate insulin release from the pancreas, a caution for people on diabetes medications.
Agave nectar is the juice from agave — a fruit native to Mexico. Agave nectar is a "natural sweetener," as are the juices of other fruits. Its benefits, say promoters, is that it is high in fructose, which is absorbed slowly into the body. Agave nectar thus has a low glycemic index: It causes lower rises in blood sugars.
I find it interesting that the high fructose content of agave nectar is seen as a benefit while the same fructose in high-fructose corn syrup is viewed by some as the plague. In fact, agave juice is higher in fructose (85 percent) than apple or pear juice (66 percent) or high-fructose corn syrup (55 percent), according to food chemist Julie Miller-Jones.
Goji berries are delicate red-orange fruits related to tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. A native of China, goji berries are rich in vitamin C and beta carotene — antioxidants that help keep our cells intact and healthy. And like other brightly colored fruits and vegetables, goji berries are said to rank high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity, or ORAC. This measurement was developed by the U.S Department of Agriculture to quantify the antioxidant capacity of certain foods. Problem is, I couldn't find goji berries listed on the latest USDA ORAC list of foods.
Acai is a small purple berry native to the Amazon. Acai berries are especially rich in vitamins, minerals and are reported to be extremely high in antioxidant properties that protect cells from oxidation damage. The delicate acai berry is mostly marketed as juice.
