Are there any true “superfoods”?

The term superfood didn’t come from a lab, it came from advertising more than a century ago. It’s catchy and it sells, which is why blueberries, chia seeds, and avocados get headlines. Originally, it helped market bananas as practical, digestible staples, and in the EU today, broad health claims require evidence and authorization. Words shape expectations, so we use them carefully, especially around kids. Rather than asking, “Is this a superfood?” a better question is, “What makes this choice valuable for us most days?” ⁶⁷⁸ 

Let’s define super in the modern context of food:

• Nutrient density per calorie: more essential nutrients, fiber, and polyphenols for the energy you take in. ⁴⁵ 

• Nutrient density per ‘less‑good’ thing: how much good you get for every gram of free sugar, saturated fat, or sodium. ⁴ 

• Nutrient density per £/€: oats, beans, frozen veg, and mixed nuts often beat exotic items on nutrition per pound. ⁴ 

• Nutrient density per environmental footprint: plant‑forward, minimally processed foods usually give more nutrition for less impact. ⁴ 

• Function per millilitre for a specific job : e.g., live cultures + prebiotic fibers (gut support) or omega‑3s for heart health. ⁴⁵⁹ 

Even truly nutrient-dense foods can’t carry your health alone, because what drives outcomes is the routine you repeat, not a cameo appearance. First, dose and frequency matter: a tablespoon of chia once a week won’t budge fibre intake or blood lipids, benefits come from foods you eat often and in meaningful amounts.³ Second, your body doesn’t absorb nutrients in a vacuum; bioavailability depends on the food matrix, vitamin C in fruit or veg can boost iron absorption from plants, and a little dietary fat helps you absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. Third, there’s the substitution effect: a “healthy” food only makes a difference if it replaces something less helpful (olive oil for butter; beans for processed meats), shifting the overall pattern.³ Fourth, foods work best in synergy, Mediterranean-style, plant-diverse patterns repeatedly outperform any lone “star” ingredient because they combine fibre, polyphenols, unsaturated fats, and minimally processed staples together.³¹⁰ Finally, personal variation is real: two people can eat the same meal and show very different post-meal blood sugar and fat responses, so what’s “super” for you may be different for someone else.⁹ 

From most to least impactful on long‑term health: 

1) Overall pattern: mostly minimally processed, plant‑diverse, adequate protein, healthy fats. ³⁴¹⁰ 
2) Consistency: what you do daily beats what you do occasionally. ³ 
3) Quality upgrades: more fiber, polyphenols, and unsaturated fats; fewer ultra‑processed extras. ³⁴ 
4) Personalisation: your tastes, culture, budget, and your body’s responses. ⁹ 
5) Individual “super” choices: great supporting actors, not the whole movie. 

• Plant diversity as a habit: aim toward ~30 different plants a week (count herbs, spices, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, fruit, veg). ¹⁰¹¹ 

• Minimally processed most of the time: frozen and tinned are fine and often just as nutritious/convenient. ¹² 

• Healthy fats on purpose: olive oil, nuts ³ 

• Protein balance:  beans, lentils, tofu/tempeh, eggs, fish, plus moderate meat if you enjoy it. ³ 

• Fermented foods: live‑culture foods can support gut and immune markers alongside a balanced diet. ¹³¹⁴ 

• More Fiber!  Whole grains and intact fibers help with appetite, energy, and gut health. ⁴ 

• Sprinkle seeds and nuts. Keep a jar of mixed seeds/nuts on the counter and add a spoon to oats, yogurt, salads, and soups. (Fibre, healthy fats pattern.) ³ 
  
• One-can habit. Open one can of beans a day (mixed if possible) and toss into salads, pasta, rice, or wraps. (Mediterranean pattern; plant diversity.) ³¹⁰¹¹ 
  
• Fermented foods, daily. Add one fermented item, yogurt/kefir, sauerkraut/kimchi, or a small mnimiil shot. ¹³¹⁴ 
  
• Go “mixed” by default. Buy mixed nuts, mixed beans, mixed frozen berries to quickly hit variety (~30 plants/week). ¹⁰¹¹ 
  
• Herb & spice rule. Season every savoury dish with at least two herbs/spices for extra polyphenols, think oregano + paprika, or cumin + coriander.³ 
  
• Whole-grain auto-pilot. Set your staples to brown rice, whole-wheat/chickpea pasta, wholegrain bread in the weekly shop. ⁴
   
• Stock frozen veg/fruit and tinned tomatoes/beans so plants are always on hand (often just as nutritious). ¹² 
  
• Personal tune-up. Notice how you feel after meals and adjust portions/choices: responses to the same food vary by person. ⁹ 

• Powders can be convenient, butcheck labels for added sugars/sweeteners and avoid vague, sweeping promises. (EU requires authorized claims.) ⁷⁸
• Supplements are for gaps, not shortcuts, used to correct deficiencies (e.g., vitamin D) on professional advice. 

At minimiil, we don't throw "super" around lightly.  

Our recipe was developed by nutritionists and fermentation experts. It earned a 100/100 score on Yuka and won the Agrifood 2025 Award for Human Health Preservation. 

"Super" in the minimiil context means high nutritional value per sip. Not a miracle, just a better choice for health and the planet. Compare what's in our bottle against anything else on the shelf, and the difference is clear. 

Dairy-free & planet-kind: 100% plant-based with flavours kids actually drink. Our almond base uses –94% less land, –40% less water, and produces –77% less CO₂e than dairy. These aren't marketing claims, they're measurable impacts per bottle 

Gut power that works: 10 billion live cultures from slow fermentation. 4 clinically studied probiotic strains plus prebiotics, calcium, and vitamin D. It nurtures gut flora, supports immune function, and helps fuel healthy growth.  

The perfect daily habit No additives. Organic. Nutri-Score A. ~3× less sugar than drinks in similar category.  It's tasty, tiny, and easy every day, so kids don't resist it and parents don't forget it. Habits drive results, and we've built the bottle that sticks. One small shot daily, compounded over weeks and months, makes the difference. 

Sources

1. University of California, Davis 

2. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

3. American Heart Association

4. BMJ – Umbrella Review on Ultra-Processed Foods (2024) 

5. PREDICT/PNAS

6. Harvard & UC Davis on the banana ‘superfood’ origin 

7. European Commission

8. PMC 

9. PubMed (2021) 

10. American Gut Project – 30 Plants/Week (Microsetta) 

11. American Gut – Original paper (2018, mSystems) 

12. National Library of Medicine

13. Stanford Medicine News

14. Cell – Wastyk et al. 2021 (Fermented foods RCT)