More than just “drink this green powder and call me in the morning”—superfoods are the ultimate “more bang for your buck” products.

Panelists:

Ramona Billingslea, Marketing Manager, Betsy’s Health Foods, Spring, TX, www.betsyhealth.com

JR Ortiz, President, MacroLife Naturals, Culver City, CA, www.macrolifenaturals.com

Dan Lifton, CEO, Quality of Life Labs, Port Chester, NY, www.qualityoflife.net

Matt Marturano, Chief Science Officer, Vibrant Health, Shelton, CT, www.vibranthealth.com

Marge Roman, Manager, Stay Healthy!, Las Vegas, NV, www.stayhealthylasvegas.com

The understanding of what a superfood is has changed over the centuries. In ancient times, milk and raw honey were certainly among the first superfoods.

Over the last 30 years, green foods—including spirulina—rose to prominence.

Of late, we’ve heard a lot about ancient grains, acai, goji berries and, more recently, about very specific superfood nutrients, such as meso-zeaxanthin.

We turned to a panel of industry experts to delve into what makes these foods so super, why this category is important and where it’s headed.

VR: What is even considered a superfood has a wide range of interpretations today. What do you consider to be a superfood?

Roman: I consider a superfood to be a nutrient-dense food or herb that is not commonly used in the everyday diet.

Marturano: I like to think of superfoods as the top 1 percent of all foods with proven health benefits. However, since we are constantly learning about the new health benefits of foods, the standard to meet this definition continuously increases.

Therefore, it also makes a lot of sense to call a food which an exceptionally high nutrient density a superfood.

Of course, all nutrients have proven health benefits, or they wouldn’t be nutrients! It is also essential to consider that there are numerous phytochemicals—in particular polyphenols—which leading experts now believe to be nutrients, in addition to vitamins and minerals.

Billingslea: I used to think of a superfood as something people might be likely to consume as a food but that also had a wide variety of benefits, especially antioxidant support. Today, I probably would include some herbs that aren’t usually on the menu but that offer the nutrient density of whole foods.

Ortiz: A personal stance when looking at the difference between “Everyday foods vs. Superfoods,” it comes down to the nutritional density per calorie.

Our “Ingredients With a Purpose” motto is our intention when formulating all products. If you are able to maximize the nutritional value per calorie, then the next step is to make sure that those nutrients are bioavailable to increase overall efficacy.

Next is to make sure that the product is delicious so that customers look forward to drinking it and not “hold their nose” just to swig it down.

Lifton: Any nutrient-dense food or food compound that provides a multitude of benefits can, to one extent or another, be considered a superfood.

VR: While the original superfood powders were predominantly green drinks—and green drinks are still out there—what types of multi-ingredient superfood powders, bars, functional products or supplements are the most popular today?

Ortiz: The short answer is superfruits that contain high levels of polyphenols, flavonoids and other naturally occurring and unique antioxidants.

Back in 2002, I started on the Miracle Reds formulation to represent the other essential nutrients that help to fight free radical damage using a full spectrum of antioxidants derived from 19 superfruits and berries. It is our goal to provide the body with nutrients from whole-food sources in order to increase the bioavailability and efficacy of the product.

Roman: We carry a number of superfood powders that contain ingredients such as pomegranate, matcha green tea, tart cherry, beets, acerola, amla, maca, ashwagandha, moringa and turmeric. The powders are the strongest category for us.

Marturano: Greens are exceptionally high in minerals, and as they tend to be widely under-consumed, it made a lot of sense to start there concerning superfood powders.

When the research focus turned more toward phytochemicals and polyphenols, berry powders emerged on the scene as an alternative to the traditional green powders.

Another advantage of berry powders is that consumers tend to find them more palatable without adding sugar or masking flavors.

As new research on the human gut microbiome has emerged in the last 10 years, we have also seen several prebiotic powders become very popular.

Billingslea: Our plant-based proteins with greens are the most popular type of superfood powder we sell. We also have powder mixes with all kinds of fruits, veggies and greens in them that people use in their smoothies.

VR: While mushrooms are neither plant nor animal, there is no mistaking their health benefits. How important are mushroom-based products to the superfood macro category, and why?

Lifton: Mushrooms and mycelia-based products are, without a doubt, superfoods, since not only do we get B vitamins from them, but also multi-functional saccharides and other compounds that provide powerful immune benefits, in addition to cardiovascular support, blood-glucose support and more.

AHCC is a patented, low-molecular weight medicinal mushroom extract developed from the mycelia (or underground portion) of a particular subspecies of Lentinula edodes. Supported by more than 30 human clinical studies, AHCC prompts an early activation of the immune system and works by enhancing the production of cytokines and increasing the activity of certain white blood cells.

AHCC Kinoko Platinum and AHCC Kinoko Gold are two of our most popular AHCC supplements.

Ortiz: Our complete understanding of the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms is in its infancy. The science of the mechanism of action of the phytonutrients in mushrooms has been proven. The problem is that a person would need to consume anywhere from 3 to 10 g of pure “fruiting bodies” to match the amounts that showed a benefit in a study. The sheer amount of raw material is way too expensive for the average person and hence has not gained full market penetration.

This goes back to our “Ingredients With a Purpose” motto; we don’t put a sprinkle of something just to be able to put it on the label/marketing, we use science/evidence based amounts of ingredients so the user feels a difference and not a placebo effect.

Once the manufacturing of medicinal mushrooms is to a point that the prices drop to a level that an efficacious product line can be created, we will enter the market. Until then, we look to innovators to work on concentrating the active compounds while still making the product eco sustainable before we will enter that category.

Marturano: Since mushrooms belong to a whole different kingdom of life, they possess chemical pathways different from plants and animals. They, therefore, offer unique health and nutritional benefits that qualify many of them as superfoods. In addition, many derive from polyphenol and prebiotic constituents not found in plant and animal-based foods. Along with probiotic bacteria and algae, medicinal mushrooms will no doubt continue to exert dominance in the superfood category for many years to come.

Roman: Mushroom powders and functional beverages are very popular. The coffees and condition-specific powders containing mushrooms and herbs are quickly gaining ground over single-mushroom ingredient powders.

VR: Ancestral land-race crops—often called ancient grains—could easily be considered superfoods due to their powerful nutrient variety and density. How important are these ingredients to the superfoods category, and why?

Billingslea: Seeking ancient grains as opposed to the much-less hearty, simple-carb choices that make up so much of the unhealthy American diet, would be an important step in decreasing so many health challenges. Considering how many of us suffer from metabolic syndrome or diabetes, consuming ancient grains rather than Wonder bread could make a big difference in health.

Marturano: While corn, wheat and rice remain the most widely consumed grains worldwide, landrace crops will continue to gain popularity.

We continue to discover health benefits that are unmatched by plants systematically selected by seed companies and plant breeders for traits such as higher yield.

However, due to the precarious status of many of these crops and their limited outcome in many cases, it is essential to practice good stewardship and avoid overwhelming growers with excessive demand.

Ortiz: The “ancient grain” category is interesting because most superfood processing does not use the grain itself, but rather the baby grass blades that are researched to be nutrient and enzyme rich (especially the SOD enzyme).

The grains themselves can be processed to yield nutritional fiber (1-3 Beta Glucan) that can be used as a complementary/combination therapy to assist with reducing high cholesterol levels among other immune boosting properties.

Ancient grains will continue to be a group of crops that can have multiple uses, and not just for a high-fiber cereal!

VR: Microbiome-supportive superfood ingredients have become popular with formulators, including probiotics; what ingredients and formulas are the most interesting for gut health, and why?

Marturano: Probiotics confer various health benefits, depending on the specific strains and dosages consumed. However, they do come with limitations, and some of these can be overcome by consuming prebiotics—oligosaccharides and polyphenols—that feed probiotic bacteria already existing in the gut.

We will also continue to see an increase in ingredients classified as postbiotics. These are ingredients produced by live probiotic bacteria but contain no living organisms.

No doubt, as research continues to develop, we will see combination products utilizing all three: prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics.

Roman: The microbiome superfood/herb/nutrient formulas help the consumer find a more targeted product that is more specific to their needs. Some of the ingredients are herbs—like marshmallow, slippery elm, ginger and licorice. Many use the amino acid glutamine and mineral magnesium, as well.

Ortiz: GI (gastrointestinal) health and the “gut brain axis” is where a lot of research is being done and this can span from appetite suppression to depression.

We know that the gut talks to the brain and vice versa, we just don’t really know how to activate certain activity, yet. With the advances in genetic engineering, a new wave of science is emerging and allows for novel strains to be created and studied in depth.

Billingslea: I like seeing the targeted support in the probiotics category, like products with strains that help support mood or are formulated for urinary support, etc. On the other hand, probiotics with various strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria also support gut health and can be taken by multiple people in a household.

We have a new line of products in our private label that provide probiotics grown in a fermented food base that also provides a full MVM spectrum. We like these products because we believe the food form base of them makes them more absorbable and beneficial for our customers.

VR: Protein and amino acids have been underrated nutrients, as they are important for metabolic health, weight loss, immunity, mood and so much more. Briefly speak to this superfood trend.

Roman: Protein products that replace meals and contain superfoods, like greens, are very strong sellers. Meal-replacement powders for weight-loss, especially those with support herbs—like cinnamon and green coffee bean—remain good sellers.

However, many customers prefer a plain protein powder to which they can add their own superfood powders to. We also sell a large variety of bulk herbs that continue to be popular add-ins to proteins.

Marturano: Protein and amino acids are critical to human health, especially those we cannot manufacture internally. For example, we’ve known for a long time that getting enough protein is essential to growing and maintaining muscle mass, which supports healthy metabolism and weight.

This is why protein and amino acid supplements have been a mainstay of the dietary supplement business from its inception. However, as we continue to learn about additional benefits, such as effects on our neurological and immune systems, we will see more of these products explicitly marketed as superfoods.

Ortiz: Just like genes, amino acids are the building blocks of many types of protein structures from hair, skin and hormones, to smooth and structural muscle synthesis. The gold standard of a “complete protein” was and still is the chicken egg.

I believe that synthesized proteins will be the next stage in amino acid research and how a stack of amino acids could turn on and or off gene expression to address different conditions. This category will benefit from gene manipulation to possibly create novel structures that can act like a catalyst or a “nutritional chaperone.”

Billingslea: I hope that proteins and amino acids get a second and third look, especially in light of the growing emphasis on sustainability and climate change. Our plant proteins are certainly our most popular protein powders. Because they are derived from plants, these products also offer many of the health benefits found in the plant, such as antioxidant support.

VR: For manufacturers, what superfood products are you most proud about, and why?

Lifton: Aside from our AHCC products, I would point to Oligonol, which is a low-molecular-weight polyphenol derived from lychee fruit and green tea that boasts several anti-aging effects, including reducing wrinkles and brown spots; lessening fatigue and increasing endurance; reducing visceral (belly) fat; and supporting cardiovascular health.

Oligonol has multiple mechanisms of action: promoting healthy blood circulation, protecting against free radical damage and helping the body mount a healthy response to inflammation.

I’d also give a shout-out to our Curcumin-SR product. Curcumin-SR features MicroCurcumin, which delivers curcumin in a special micronized, sustained-release matrix to increase absorption and bioavailability. MicroCurcumin has 10-times better bioavailability than regular curcumin, with the curcumin being released slowly over 12 hours, which means it stays in the blood longer—and is therefore active longer.

VR: How can retailers best merchandise superfood products—and, for manufacturers, what superfood product should retailers be aware of and why?

Marturano: I recommend merchandising superfoods in the supplement and produce/grocery sections. Place superfoods next to complementary items such as non-dairy beverages, bananas and other fresh fruit.

Retailers should provide customers with the best-in-class superfoods that offer the highest quality ingredients at effective doses.

Offer customers products with a full disclosure label where every ingredient is listed by name and quantity; stay away from superfoods that hide behind a proprietary blend.

Billingslea: We tend to put our products in order of type, but also categorize them by benefits. Many superfoods are found throughout other product categories. Food-based multis, plant-based proteins, green powders, mushrooms, powdered fruits and vegetables, all can be considered superfoods, but might be all over the store.

Before COVID-19, I would think that sampling superfoods might best market them. Now, I think you just have to do the same kind of legwork for superfoods that you do for other products: learn the benefits and talk to customers about those selling points to match the best product to each person’s individual need.

Ortiz: The best way for superfoods to gain more household adoptability is to start them with single serving packets to lower the barrier of entry. Our packets have been shown to sell bottles and hence we offer all our products in packet format. Condition specific displays at the front of the store on a rotating “end cap” is the way to go for retailers.

Roman: We merchandise our superfoods with the green foods. In another section, we have expanded our mushroom selection to include the coffees and powders. We also have a bulk herb section with about 200 varieties.

VR: What would you like to add?

Ortiz: For manufactures, I suggest that they continue to make sure that the supply chain of all raw materials, especially superfoods, be sourced constantly to make sure that product quality is not affected. For example: your primary, secondary and tertiary suppliers should all be of equal quality, even if the manufacturer needs to absorb some margin periodically. Remember, you can’t fill orders if your supply chain is in trouble. VR

Extra! Extra!