Geschatte leestijd: 3 minutenNot long ago, it was widely reported in the national media that people had become ill after eating goji berries. Many took the report at face value, but there was a large group of fervent goji berry eaters who opposed the message. Because what was that about, another stupid article.
Why are goji berries being cast in a bad light? Goji berries are supposed to be super healthy, right?
Are Goji Berries Unhealthy?
The goji berry eaters were completely right. The report mentioned that a number of people had reported to the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority and on social media that they had become ill from goji berries.
I recently also made a report to the NVWA. After drinking 12 shots of tequila, I slept poorly, woke up with a throbbing headache and a dry mouth, and had trouble keeping my food down. Although it got better during the day, it was definitely the tequila that made me sick.
“The NVWA did not want to respond to my complaint.”
You may laugh, but this is precisely why the message from the NVWA is so incredibly strange. Any food item that you eat too much of causes an unpleasant reaction in your body. It doesn’t matter whether it’s alcohol, goji berries, water, peanuts, or liquid frying fat.
The message is also strange because the NVWA does not mention the number of complaints that have been reported. Moreover, it does not say what the consequences of these reports are and what the solution to this problem is. Therefore, the NVWA could have written a report about people with a hangover just as well.
I mean this seriously.
But what are goji berries actually?
For those who were not aware, goji berries are berries from plants that originally grow in China. The berries are eaten dried and are somewhat sweet in taste. The term Chinese raisins would also fit.
But we mainly know goji berries because they are the oh-so-popular superfoods. They are supposed to possess special properties: lots of antioxidants, good for the eyes, libido, digestion, sleep, blood pressure, and so on and so forth. All these claims cannot be proven and are incredibly difficult to test.
Someone decided that superfoods are only superfoods if they have 12 or more special properties. Blogs and magazines just blindly follow this. But the truth is that superfoods both exist and do not exist.
They exist because the name adds value to something that previously had no value. And they do not exist because there is nothing super about them, and no one checks that term. There is no definition. Those 12 special properties are pulled out of thin air. Because:
– What is a special property?
– What special properties are there?
– Who tests properties for specialness?
– Why is the limit at 12 properties?
– What is a property anyway?
So, are Goji Berries Healthy?
Goji berries are just as much a superfood as they are not. The berries contain more antioxidants than similar foods (such as raisins), but eating 5 to 25 grams of goji berries will not give you an overall positive attitude as goji-bes.nl literally writes.
Again, you might ask: How do you measure something like that? What is an overall positive attitude? If we go back to the report from the National Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority about goji berries, we understand the commotion. Goji berries are superfoods, right? Goji berries, just like chia seeds, are super healthy, right? So why can you get sick from them?
We already know the answer: all food is toxic in large quantities. Especially superfoods. Yes, especially superfoods.
The commotion is understandable: precisely because goji berries are more nutrient-rich than other berries (and therefore considered healthier) it is strange that the NVWA would issue a report that casts these berries in a bad light. But on the other hand, it gives us consumers something to think about.
And So
Here again, it applies: anything that is consumed in excess is not good. This also applies to something labeled as a superfood. The fact that you can also get sick from goji berries is for one a reason to react with surprise and for another a conclusion that all foods have advantages and disadvantages.
Goji berries, like other unprocessed foods, fit into a healthy and varied diet if you do not eat too much of them. What is too much varies from person to person. What varies
is different for everyone. And even what is healthy is different for everyone.
Make sure you keep informing yourself about healthy eating, but above all, make sure you remain critical of claims. Even about claims in this article.
References
– http://www.goji-bes.nl/
– http://www.nvwa.nl/actueel/nieuws/nieuwsbericht/2049181/nvwa-gezondheidsklachten-na-eten-van-gojibessen
– https://www.google.nl/?q=superfood+12+bijzondere+eigenschappen
