Day 48:

Juice: Bleeding Grapefruit

Bleeding Grapefruit:
2 Grapefruit
2 Sticks of Celery
1/4 Beetroot

This is a great picker-uper of a juice! A wonderful morning juice. Real zingy and sweet.

Personally, I find beets can be an overpowering flavor in juices and typically when purchase a fresh juice from a juice bar there is always too much beet. I get it. It's a cheap veg to have on hand and fills up a cup nicely. But, it's sweet taste can quickly turn on you and become sickly sweet! Yuck!
So a Top Tip when dealing with beetroot, start small. You can always add more.

As a rule, if you want fresh juice, the absolute best thing you can do it make it yourself, at home with produce you have purchased locally. BUT we all know that is not always possible.

Sometimes when you're in a pinch and want something juicy you pick up one of these:

 (or one of the many variations that occur)

Please note, I am not promoting this brand over any other, but I did choose this particular bottle today because of the word "Superblend" and "Superfruits" being listed on the front of the packaging. Now, I have seen (possibly even used) the term "Superfood" when referring to kale, quinoa, broccoli, etc... but I thought it was interesting that a label would list something as a "Superfruit" instead of a "Superfood". Surely a "Superfruit" should be covered under the "Superfood" label, since fruits - super or not - are still in the "food" category.
But, I digress....

So, I flipped the bottle around to look at what fruit Bolthouse Farms considered to be SO SUPER.

For those of you who may not be able to read my blurry image the list is as follows:

Acai Berry
Goji Berry
Bilberry
Black Current
Mangosteen
Blueberry
Noni Berry
Yumberry
Raspberry
Pomegranate

Now, with the exception of the Yumberry and the Noni Berry, I know a bit about the rest of the fruits and all are good choices, I couldn't think of a reason why they were "Super" and a apple - for example - is not. So, I thought it must be in the definition of the word - Superfruit.

However, there is no agreed upon definition. Hmmm...

Wikipedia states "Superfruit is a marketing term first used in the food and beverage industry in 2005..." and "...the designation of a fruit as a superfruit is entirely up to the product manufacturer." (Wikipedia) Interesting, no?

Also, the USDA and FDA have not officially endorsed the term. So, Superfruit means whatever a corporation wants it to mean.

But at the very end of the wikipedia page glowed a little blue link instructing me to "see also: superfood". Well I couldn't resist that. Click.

Superfood seems to have a definition, but only in some dictionaries. Macmillan and Oxford have defined superfood as: "A nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being." (Oxford) Okay, aside from the fact that I think this definition can be applied to most raw fruits and vegetables, it is at least a base to work from. 

*It should also be noted that wikipedia describes superfood as "a marketing term used to describe foods with supposed health benefits." (Wikipedia)

The best description/definition of the term superfood came from the Food Matters website (some of you may have seen the documentary). There they define superfood as "a special category of foods found in nature. By definition they are calorie sparse and nutrient dense meaning they pack a lot of punch for their weight as far as goodness goes. They are superior sources of anti-oxidants and essential nutrients - nutrients we need but cannot make ourselves."

Now it says "by definition" but I could not see a link or footnote as to which "definition" they are referring to. However, I think it is the most specific definition I could find...let's call it a nice working definition.

But at the end of the day this is a marketing term, both Superfruit and Superfood. It is VERY important to note that the juice bottle DID NOT have an USDA organic label or even claim to be organic...It merely said "All Natural" which means nothing in the food world.

So I ask you this: What good is a "superfruit" or "superfood" if it isn't grown under good conditions?

Let me know your thoughts?

Also if you have a spare 20mins...this is a GREAT video!