More and more these days we are seeing the term “Super Food” applied to food labels. It's important to understand the word “super” in the world of nutrition.

Super Foods or Super Labels?
“Super Foods” are foods that are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants (including phytonutrients), low in salt, high in fiber and usually lower in fat and low on the processed-food scale. Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemicals that may protect cells from the damaging effects of oxidation. Phytonutrients - also known as phytochemicals - are naturally-occurring compounds found in plants and fruits that have shown to benefit health.

Occasionally you will see the words “Super Food” applied to a food or product as a marketing gimmick. Don't equate this to an automatic “health benefit.”

Good Nutrients Gone Bad
Hippocrates was born in 460 B.C. and died at the age of 83. That's better than the current predicted lifespan for most of us today, which is just shy of 78 years, according to the most recent government census report (2004).

Looking back, there must be some truth to his philosophy, “Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”

In understanding the term “nutrient,” we have to remember that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. For example, too much sugar, a nutrient that is broken down for energy, creates fat.

Another essential nutrient our bodies need is sodium (salt), but sodium is not always a good thing. In some people, even a tiny bit of salt can raise blood pressure enough to start the disease process that leads to heart attack, kidney disease or stroke.

Don't Mess with Mother Nature
Over-processing robs even the hardiest and most nutritious food of any measurable amount of vitamins and minerals. Processing may take the form of heating, condensing, preserving, concentrating or pasteurizing. For consumers, anything that comes in a sealed box, can, bag, pouch, sack or tube is suspect.

So, now that we've eliminated 75 percent of the items in our cupboards, what's left? Plenty!

Sam Graci, author of “Super Nutrients,” says we need foods that are “…naturally occurring, nutrient-dense foods Nature has provided for millennia - of course, grown in sunlight and infused with the energy of soil and rain…[including] fruits, wild greens, nuts, seeds, vegetables, sea veggies, herbs, fish, fowl, wild lean animals, berries, and roots.”

The United States Department of Agriculture, which sets dietary guidelines for Americans, recommends many selections from the vegetable and fruit groups: broccoli, oranges, bananas, spinach, beans, tomatoes, dark green leafy and dark yellow veggies and berries of any sort. These bright green, orange, red and yellow selections offer a host of vitamins, minerals and nutrients - all essential to our human diet.

For years, the American Heart Association has recommended a minimum of five fruits and vegetables each day (try for nine or 10!). Since the majority of the population only manages to eat three servings or less, any increase would be beneficial!

Readily Available Super Foods
To follow is a list of foods with concentrated nutrients that can provide health benefits when part of a balanced diet. These foods can usually be found in neighborhood grocery stores.

Chocolate
Stick with the dark kind. It's loaded with flavonoids, or water soluble plant pigments shown to be rich in antioxidants. Just a pinch or two will do. (Good luck!)

Wine
The question, “Is wine good for my health?” has finally been answered, and the answer is “Maybe.” Many wines have an abundance of the antioxidant resveratrol (especially red and muscadine varieties), which is being studied for its anti-cancer, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.

The answers are still being sought, to tell the truth. So, for now, the key is to drink wine - or any alcohol - in moderation, if at all.

Nuts to You and Me
Most nuts would qualify as Super Foods because they contain large amounts of healthy fats, folic acid, niacin, vitamins E and B6, and minerals like magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium, phosphorus and potassium.

The USDA now recommends “…eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.” The key is to limit our consumption - and to limit or omit nuts with salt, cooked in oils or dipped in candy.

Whole Grains
In addition to monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and protein, whole grains have the bran and germ which provide us with an abundance of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Try to eliminate refined (“enriched”) grains from your diet and always ask for selections made with whole grains when you eat out!

The Bottom Line
Remember, there is no one food or beverage that will overcome an abundance of bad choices and poor lifestyle management.

If we're lucky, we will continue to have great foods and food products introduced to us like pomegranates, kiwis, whole wheat pasta, Gogi juice and a myriad of other offerings.

However, the most important super-cheap, super-nutrient has been around since the beginning of time. Without it, most life would perish in a matter of days. Still, most of us don't get enough of it. How many glasses of water have you had today?

Michael F. Edwards, M.A., is the Health Education Program Manager for Patrick Air Force Base in Satellite Beach and holds certifications as a Health Education Specialist and Registered Health Educator. For more information, call (321) 494-2660.