Monthly Archives: November 2011

The so-called “superfoods” – defined as foods that are packed with incredible levels of nutrition despite their historical lack of mainstream attention – are appearing in health and fitness headlines more and more as doctors and nutritionists work to better understand the benefits of regularly consuming super fruits. For fitness trendsetters, however, the new buzz-word in nutritional health is “superfruits.”

Superfruits are a subset of superfoods. They are packed with anti-inflammatory nutrients and antioxidants, and multiple studies have shown that they’re ideal for providing wholesome nutrition. But do the hyped-up marketing campaigns touting superfruits like pomegranate, goji berry and acai berry deliver a fair and balanced portrayal of their health and wellness benefits, or do they tend to exaggerate?

A brief examination of the current scientific evidence regarding each one of the various superfruits should paint a more complete picture in terms of their physical and mental health benefits as well as any possible detrimental side effects and/or risks.

For decades, nutritionists and the medical profession have believed that maintaining a low sodium diet is one of the keys to optimal health and fitness. After all, regularly consuming a diet that is low in salt has been clinically proven to lower your blood pressure, which in and of itself reduces your risk of contracting heart disease.

However, a new study published today in the American Journal of Hypertension is suggesting that keeping your salt intake to a minimum could introduce a plethora of other health concerns, including increased levels of hormones, fat and cholesterol in your blood. This, in turn, could boost your overall probability of contracting some form of heart disease. Although additional studies are needed, the initial findings of this study are certainly surprising and interesting for health-conscious consumers.