Superfoods Rx Diet

Many fad diets promote the idea that if you eat or avoid a specific kind of food, you can get thinner and healthier. Sometimes, this advice is accurate. Numerous studies show that avoiding trans fats can improve your health and lifespan. Other diets make wildly unsupportable claims, like losing weight by eating all the banana splits you want. Dr. Steven Pratt's Superfoods Rx diet recommends specific foods.

Micronutrients

In his bestselling book, Pratt identifies 14 foods he claims have special importance in nutrition and health. Pratt chose these foods based on the concept of micronutrients, such as polyphenols, carotenoids and phytoestrogens. According to Pratt, these compounds have powerful antioxidant properties, as well as the ability to reduce the frequency of many chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

The Superfoods

Pratt's list of 14 superfoods includes: beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, wild salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yogurt. For each superfood, Pratt includes a list of "sidekicks," foods with similar--but not as powerful--properties as the main superfood. For example, "sidekicks" for blueberries include purple grapes, boysenberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and cherries.

Other Foods

Pratt's work, both medical and promotional, is ongoing. On his website, Pratt identifies other valuable foods. In a recent article, he identified cumin, turmeric, oregano and thyme as "SuperSpices" that can give any food extra health value. Other examples of foods added to the original list include avocadoes, cinnamon, extra virgin olive oil, honey and pomegranates.

Reception

"Superfoods Rx" made the best-seller list in 2004 and continues to sell copies, while Pratt's blog on Superfoods.com gets thousands of daily hits. Responding to the popularity, some restaurants and spas have adopted superfoods-based menus or identified superfood-compliant items among their offerings.

Disadvantages

DietsInReview notes two main disadvantages to the Superfoods Rx. Many of the foods on the list are not commonly eaten in the United States, which would require many users to retool their diets in order to adopt the Superfoods Rx. This would mean finding sources for many new foods and learning how to cook them. The diet also recommends eating a great deal of food. The original book recommends: 1/2 cup of beans; 2 cups of berries; 1 cup of broccoli; five to seven servings of oats; an orange; 1/2 cup of pumpkin; 15 g of soy; 2 cups of spinach; 1 cup each of processed and fresh tomatoes; one serving of turkey or wild salmon; 2 cups of yogurt and at least 1 cup of tea every day. This totals more than 1700 calories for just the superfoods, 85 percent of the United States Department of Agriculture recommended caloric intake and significantly higher than the calorie budget on many weight-loss diets.