The proliferation of websites detailing foods that have been labeled “superfood” is an example of a large problem. The citizens of the U.S. are having trouble figuring out what is best to eat and what we need to skip.
All foods have a downside. Someone might be allergic to it. Another might take medications that interact. There are side effects and there are superfoods that we need to keep away from our pets. It might be wise to sit down and look at these foods and figure out for ourselves if we want to follow the hype.
Alfalfa Sprouts: While these were very popular, many stores are no longer selling them. The biggest problem is that they are often contaminated with things like salmonella. Over a twenty year period, sprouts have been responsible for 46 outbreaks of salmonella, e. coli and listeria. At least 2500 cases were reported.
Asparagus: This is more of a social downside. Asparagus is notorious for making urine foul smelling.
Buckwheat: This flour makes really tasty pancakes, but it’s best not to go overboard with them. Buckwheat can also cause photosensitivity. This can cause a red rash to appear. It should not be eaten if there are other photosensitivity issues such as medications that can cause the same problem.
Eggs: For most people eggs aren’t a problem. However, there are two things to keep in mind about them. They are still high in saturated fat and if they are undercooked you’re at risk for salmonella. That risk can be minimized by fully cooking the egg yolk.
Grapes: This is one that isn’t harmful to us. The pet dog, however, is at serious risk of death. Dogs cannot eat grapes or raisins. If a dog does ingest them, a trip to the emergency vet is necessary.
Grapefruit: There are many medications that interact with grapefruit juice. Statins, some blood pressure medications and even antibiotics are on this list. If you take any medication regularly, check with the pharmacist to see if it has been added to the list. When you get a new prescription make sure to ask, even if it is for a short time, such as an antibiotic.
Salmon: The problem here is whether it’s wild caught or farm raised. Wild caught is much healthier. Farm raised salmon don’t get a lot of exercise, so they are higher in fat. They’re very close together which means that any diseases that get into the population spread faster. In fact, they are given antibiotics and other chemicals to prevent or check that problem.
There is also the “color added” part of the equation. Wild caught salmon are naturally pink because of their diet. Krill gives them that color. The salmon from farms would be the same color as halibut…greyish white. In order to get them to look like salmon, they are fed chemicals. In fact, there is a color sheet that lets the farmers pick what color of pink they wish.
On top of that, these fish contain chemicals that could cause cancer or problems with the reproductive system. Not something we really want to be eating.
This is not to say that all superfoods are bad. What needs to be understood is that we have to be smart about our food choices. Don’t take a news story as gospel on what you should be eating. Get in there and research it yourself.
