According to Ronald L. Seibold, co-founder of Kansas-based Pines International, the term “superfoods” was coined in response to the 1976 best-selling book The Save Your Life Diet by Dr. David Reuben.
Reuben wrote about an extensive comparison of the diets of indigenous people who had a very low incidence of cancer, heart disease, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids and what he called the “diseases of civilization.”
“Dr. Reuben’s research helped us define the term ‘superfood’ in 1976. According to our definition, superfoods include Pines Wheat Grass, an extremely nutrient-dense food with plenty of indigestible insoluble fiber, which is exactly the kind of food that Dr. Reuben found that indigenous people ate,” Seibold explained. “Nowadays, some ‘superfood’ companies label their products as superfoods even though they consist mostly of highly processed juice powders and other low-fiber foods, which is what Reuben associated with the diseases of civilization.”
Notably, Reuben’s research was during the early stages of prebiotics. Today, many nutritionists refer to foods rich in “insoluble fiber” as “prebiotics” because they provide the medium needed for the growth of probiotic bacteria. Reuben discovered it was the probiotic bacteria found in healthy, high-fiber diets that accounted for the difference between diseases associated with the diets of “modern” civilization and the low incidence of disease among indigenous diets.
When Pines was founded in 1976, university laboratories and government institutions used Cerophyl as the ideal medium for growing probiotics. When Cerophyl was discontinued, Pines’ cereal grasses—which are grown the same way—became the preferred medium for probiotic bacteria.
Unfortunately, many people falsely believe that removing 10-20 percent insoluble fiber to turn whole foods into juices missed important research about the importance of insoluble fiber and whole food diets. Those who believe removing insoluble fiber increases nutritional value do not realize the data shows the opposite, Seibold explained.
People on highly processed low-fiber diets often believe taking probiotic capsules or drinking kombucha will create a probiotic environment in the gut. However, without insoluble fiber, probiotic supplements can “be a waste of money” because probiotics cannot survive in a low-fiber, highly processed diet of juices and other processed foods, even if the probiotics survive the acidic environment of the stomach.
“Only a healthy, whole-food diet that contains ample amounts of insoluble fiber, such as cellulose, can provide a medium for probiotics. Without insoluble fiber, anaerobic bacteria become the predominant flora, as Reuben showed, leading to the ‘diseases of civilization,’” Seibold explained. “Formulators of these low-fiber green ‘superfoods’ claim that removing insoluble fiber, such as cellulose, is a good thing, but the fact is, it is not. The fact is that all whole foods, whether vegetable, fruit, nuts, or grains, contain cellulose and other insoluble fiber that is essential for probiotic bacteria. To remove insoluble fiber because ‘it is indigestible’ shows a complete misunderstanding of the role of insoluble fiber in a healthy colon.”
For more information, visit www.wheatgrass.com.
