10 Mar Superfoods That Aren’t So Super

 
Gogi berries – Goji berries come from a plant that’s grown throughout Asia. This berry has been touted to have many benefits ranging from anti-cancer and anti-aging properties, improve eyesight and fertility, and helping to reduce inflammation. And while several preliminary laboratory and animal studies suggest goji berries may provide health properties – industry supported research has really done a good job in exaggerating the benefits of these berries. In reality, all berries are a rich source of antioxidants, fibre, and nutrients. Save your money on the expensive goji berries and instead load up on fresh seasonal berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) that are in season! In the cooler months opt for frozen berries they provide the same nutritional punch as the fresh ones!

Green smoothies: Its fine to make your own smoothie so you have control over the ingredients and the size of smoothie you are having. Commercial smoothies, on the other hand, can be a sugar bomb – even the green ones! For example, the Tropi-Kale smoothie at Booster Juice has 51 grams of sugar for the regular 710 ml serving. That is close to about 13 tsp of sugar! Another green smoothie at Booster Juice is Spinach is in it – this one has 72 grams of sugar about 18 tsp of sugar. Save your money and the sugar and stick to homemade smoothies or make sure to read the nutrition label and stick to green juices that have less than 10 grams of sugar per 250 ml – and choose to the smallest size possible.

Agave Nectar – this sweetener has been marketed as a low glycemic sweetener because it doesn’t have glucose like other sweeteners, such as maple syrup and honey. However, agave does have fructose, which is another type of sugar. While our body uses glucose for energy – the liver is the only organ that can metabolize fructose in significant amounts. Eating a diet that is high in calories and high in fructose means the liver gets overloaded and starts turning the fructose into fat. Bottom line, save your money on agave and cut back on your overall sugar intake as much as you can!