One of the most marketed aspects of Biotest’s Superfood product is that it has an ORAC rating of 5000 per serving. Yet when compared to other multi-vitamin/greens-like product this really isn’t that impressive.
Honestly, I’ve used Superfood from the time of its introduction and I’m a bit disappointed. For its price tag of $40 dollars per container, I could buy a multi-vitamin and a greens powder. (Berardi’s view differs a bit on the product as well).
Also, Superfood of course doesn’t help when it comes to getting optimal amounts of fiber in our diets (neither does a multi/greens powder of course). In hindsight I personally think I felt better when taking Greens+ and a Multi-Vitamin back in the day.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Please share them if you do.
One more thought comes to mind – Variety. As in all things, the answer often paradoxically enough is that there is no answer. So, maybe rotating Superfood with a high-ORAC multi-vitamin and Greens+ is the ideal solution.
if you have a reasonable quantity and variety of veggies in your diet day to day then superfood is unlikely to give noticable benefits, it did not for me
if your diet is crap in terms of fruits/veggies then it will probably be like a magic pill
Personally, their are products that may not be as ORAC-intensive but have more health benefits than Superfood. I know at least a couple I would consider to be staples in my supplement rotation. Superfood is definetly top notch though.
It does sound like there may be better products out there, but part of Superfood’s appeal is that it’s made from fruit and vegetable extracts, so the antioxidants are all likely to readily absorbed, as opposed to some multi-vitamins, where different minerals and antioxidants seem to be haphazardly thrown in, where there may be chemical interactions between them.
So long story short, while Superfood may not be the best out there, at least you know what you’re getting when you use it.
[quote]BigRassler171 wrote:
It does sound like there may be better products out there, but part of Superfood’s appeal is that it’s made from fruit and vegetable extracts, so the antioxidants are all likely to readily absorbed, as opposed to some multi-vitamins, where different minerals and antioxidants seem to be haphazardly thrown in, where there may be chemical interactions between them.
So long story short, while Superfood may not be the best out there, at least you know what you’re getting when you use it. [/quote]
True. That ‘all natural’ aspect is what intially drew me to Superfood. Then again I wonder if we can ever really ‘know’ what ratios of which ingrediants are in any given container of the stuff. I have no idea how they mix everything together, yet you can imagine how hard it is to really guarantee there’s X amount of wild blueberry or Y amount of wasabi in every little tub. Maybe one purchase I’ll get nothing but broccili and yams?
[quote]Aristocrat wrote:
One of the most marketed aspects of Biotest’s Superfood product is that it has an ORAC rating of 5000 per serving. Yet when compared to other multi-vitamin/greens-like product this really isn’t that impressive.
[/quote]
The fact that the ORAC rating is conservative compared to cheaper multi-vitamins and powders leads me to believe that it’s actually true.
That being said, along with Superfood I do use Garden of Life’s Perfect Food. It tastes like mulch, but it does have probiotics in it that keep things moving along in my digestive tract.
While the ORAC rating is important, just as important are the ingredients. There are certain foods in it that I hardly ever eat, so I figure at least it’s better than having to gag over broccoli
[quote]Aristocrat wrote:
BigRassler171 wrote:
It does sound like there may be better products out there, but part of Superfood’s appeal is that it’s made from fruit and vegetable extracts, so the antioxidants are all likely to readily absorbed, as opposed to some multi-vitamins, where different minerals and antioxidants seem to be haphazardly thrown in, where there may be chemical interactions between them.
So long story short, while Superfood may not be the best out there, at least you know what you’re getting when you use it.
True. That ‘all natural’ aspect is what intially drew me to Superfood. Then again I wonder if we can ever really ‘know’ what ratios of which ingrediants are in any given container of the stuff. I have no idea how they mix everything together, yet you can imagine how hard it is to really guarantee there’s X amount of wild blueberry or Y amount of wasabi in every little tub. Maybe one purchase I’ll get nothing but broccili and yams?
[/quote]
Every lot of Biotest Superfood is standardized to have the same ratio of fruits and vegetables.
One way of telling this is by the taste. Since there are no secondary sweeteners or flavorings used, a change in the fruits and vegetables will yield a noticeable change in taste.
[quote]Aristocrat wrote:
One more thought comes to mind – Variety. As in all things, the answer often paradoxically enough is that there is no answer. So, maybe rotating Superfood with a high-ORAC multi-vitamin and Greens+ is the ideal solution.[/quote]
Have you actually looked at the ingredients for Greens+?
I try to avoid at least one-third of the things found in that product.
[quote]Aristocrat wrote:
rsg wrote:
To answer the question - no.
An ORAC of over 5000 is high no matter how you look at it.
True 5000 is pretty high. And 8,191 is significantly higher. There are also tons of other products with ORAC ratings in the 7,000 range.[/quote]
You’re right, if you look at the numbers the other products seem like they are 50% more effective. But is that how the body would respond? Not really.
What I’m saying is that there is a diminishing return on the effectiveness of the antioxidant capacity. For example, for the first 2500 ORAC, your body can utilize 1/1 ORAC. For the 2501-5000 your body can only utilize 0.5/1, therefore you only get the equivalent of 1250 ORAC instead of the presumed 2500. For 5001-7500 it would be 0.25/1… so you get the picture.
I just simplified the numbers, but studies have shown that ORAC shows diminishing activity in the body the higher the dose is. So it’s wasteful to try and get a huge ORAC dose each time. Capish?
[quote]Mod Brian wrote:
Aristocrat wrote:
One more thought comes to mind – Variety. As in all things, the answer often paradoxically enough is that there is no answer. So, maybe rotating Superfood with a high-ORAC multi-vitamin and Greens+ is the ideal solution.
Have you actually looked at the ingredients for Greens+?
I try to avoid at least one-third of the things found in that product.[/quote]
I agree. I remember TC saying something about how many “Greens” type products contain extracts from grasses/other plants with hypo-allergenic properties.