Last Updated on August 5, 2025 by Pen Pixel
You ever feel like your kitchen is judging you?
Like, there’s a bag of quinoa sitting there acting like it’s better than your actual bank account.
And you’re just staring back like, “Ma’am, you don’t even have flavor unless I baptize you in seasoning and oil.”
I remember the first time I tried chia seeds. I thought I was about to unlock the secret to energy, glowing skin, and world peace.
Instead? I got bloated and broke.
The Key Takeaway.
Superfoods? Most of them are just glorified basics in fancier clothes. They don’t have superpowers. They don’t cure depression. They don’t undo four hours of crying or that 2AM binge. They’re tools, not miracles. So let’s stop the worship and start getting smart.
What People Never Tell You About Health Fads.
Superfoods are the wellness industry’s favourite bait. They’re the Beyoncé of food trends. All sparkles, all spotlight.
And you, burnt out, tired, stressed, searching for something to fix it, fall for it.
Not because you’re dumb. But because you’re human. And tired. And trying.
But most people aren’t buying superfoods because they’re healthy. They’re buying them because they’re desperate. They feel like failures. They’re exhausted from trying every diet.
So when they hear that spirulina or goji berries are “anti-aging” or “detoxifying,” they think, “Maybe this one will save me.”
I’ve been that person. Repeatedly.
Are Superfoods Overhyped?
First, superfoods are real.
Like, yes, they have vitamins. Yes, they’re “nutrient-dense.” Yes, your body can benefit from them.
BUT, and this is the hill I’m dying on: THEY’RE NOT MAGIC.
- Let me say it louder: Eating kale won’t fix your life.
- Chia pudding won’t heal your trauma.
- Acai bowls won’t reverse your heartbreak or make your skin glow like Instagram promised.
- You can’t smoothie your way out of a nervous breakdown.
You don’t need a food that flew across 7 countries to be healthy.
Half the “superfoods” hyped online are already in your mother’s soup pot. Veggies? Superfood.
Okra? Superfood.
But you know why they don’t trend?
Because the world only sells what feels foreign.
If it’s exotic, people believe it’s powerful. If it’s local, they call it “bush.” Even though the nutrients are sitting in front of you for $1.25 in a green nylon bag.
Crazy, right?
Why Are We Really Eating This Stuff?
Sometimes we don’t eat superfoods for nutrition.
We eat them for identity.
- We want to feel like we’re “that girl.”
- The one who drinks matcha instead of Milo.
- The one who knows what maca root is and casually says things like, “Oh I make my own almond milk.”
We’re trying to become someone. Someone who’s healed, who’s glowing, someone who’s not falling apart.
And superfoods feel like a shortcut. But they’re not.
They’re just food.
Real healing, energy and health? It’s in the boring stuff. The routine. The water. The sleep. The walking. The warm food that fills your belly and doesn’t judge you.
- It’s in listening to your body instead of punishing it.
- It’s in knowing that food is not your savior. You are.
- Superfoods help, sure. But they don’t do the work for you.
What Actually Works Then?
The basics. The boring, unsexy basics.
- Water.
- Protein.
- Veggies.
- Fiber.
- Sleep.
That’s the real flex. That’s the real “super.”
But we ignore them because they’re not cute. You can’t film a dramatic “what I eat in a day” with lentils.
We want aesthetic health, not actual health.
But actual health is local. It’s boring. It’s cheap. It’s repeatable.
Common Superfoods To Try.
- Spinach.
- Kale.
- Moringa.
- Chia seeds.
- Flaxseeds.
- Almonds.
- Walnuts.
- Pumpkin seeds.
- Blueberries.
- Goji berries.
- Acai berries.
- Strawberries.
- Salmon.
- Mackerel.
- Sardines.
- Quinoa.
- Oats.
- Brown rice.
- Fonio.
- Ginger.
- Garlic.
- Turmeric.
- Green tea.
- Hibiscus.
- Broccoli.
- Cabbage.
- Cauliflower.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Beets.
- Carrots.
- Yam.
- Avocado.
- Papaya (Pawpaw).
- Bananas.
- Mangoes.
- Coconut.
- Greek yogurt.
- Kefir.
- Kimchi.
- Sauerkraut.
- Nunu (local fermented milk).
Your grandmother never had chia seeds. But her bones were strong, her skin glowed, and she lived to 95. Why? Because she moved her body, ate real food, and didn’t spend her life in food-fueled anxiety spirals. Let that sink in.
