5 Superfoods That Aren’t As Super As You Think

“Superfoods” are seemingly everywhere: in smoothies, on grocery shelves, in health blogs. If you believe the hype, foods like blueberries, kale, and chia seeds fight cancer, help you lose weight, and even boost your mood.

It’s tempting to view these foods as dietary silver bullets. But deeper analysis of the most popular superfoods reveals that the “super” designation may be more the result of good marketing than science.

“That doesn’t mean they’re not healthful foods,” Marit Harney, R.D., says. “But they probably doesn’t meet all the claims that are marketed.”

Here are just a few superfoods that are less super than you think.