Episode 77
Superfood Myths: What Works, What Hurts, What’s Hype
Superfood Snake Oil: Why Kale Won’t Save You (But Also Isn’t Killing You)
Every week, there's a new superfood: sea moss, turmeric shots, raw milk, lion’s mane mushrooms, and the obligatory $18 acai bowl. These so-called miracle foods promise to heal your gut, detox your liver, reverse aging, and apparently, cure loneliness if you add enough coconut flakes.
But here’s the reality: “superfood” is a marketing term, not a scientific one.
Let’s dig into the hype, the risks, and what the research really says.
The Superfood Scam: Health Halo for Sale
The term “superfood” has no regulatory meaning. It’s not recognized by the FDA, USDA, or any legitimate scientific body. It originated in marketing campaigns and caught fire because it sells. All you need is one small, usually poorly designed study, a press release, and a social media influencer to make your food the next panacea.
Blueberries? Excellent.
Avocados? Delicious.
Are they miracle cures? No.
References:
- Hasler, C. M. (2002). Functional foods: Benefits, concerns and challenges—a position paper from the American Council on Science and Health. The Journal of Nutrition, 132(12), 3772–3781. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/132.12.3772
Turmeric: Anti-Inflammatory or Hepatotoxic?
Turmeric has become the golden child of the wellness world. Its active compound, curcumin, has been studied for its anti-inflammatory properties. But here’s the problem: it doesn’t absorb well, and most studies showing benefits are in vitro or animal studies, not humans.
Worse? Turmeric has been linked to liver injury.
Several case reports have now documented turmeric-related liver failure, especially when consumed in high doses or combined with alcohol or other supplements.
So no, a turmeric shot after tequila won’t detox your liver. It may just damage it further.
References:
- Luber RP et al. (2019). Acute Liver Injury With Turmeric Use. ACG Case Reports Journal, 6(5). https://doi.org/10.14309/crj.0000000000000113
- Nelson KM et al. (2017). The essential medicinal chemistry of curcumin. J Med Chem, 60(5), 1620–1637. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975
Raw Milk: Microbial Roulette, Not a Wellness Hack
Let’s talk about raw milk—a rising star among TikTok wellness influencers. The claim? Pasteurization destroys enzymes and nutrients. The truth? Pasteurization destroys pathogens that can kill you.
Raw milk can harbor E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Salmonella—especially dangerous for kids, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised. The CDC has linked multiple outbreaks to raw milk in the last decade.
Pasteurization was a public health revolution. Rejecting it isn’t “natural”—it’s negligent.
References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). Raw Milk Questions and Answers. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-questions-and-answers.html
- Mungai EA, et al. (2015). Increased outbreaks of nonpasteurized milk–associated foodborne illness. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 21(1), 119–122. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2101.140447
Sea Moss, Super Iodine, and Hypothyroidism
Sea moss is having a moment. Touted for thyroid health and “minerals,” it's become a staple in online supplement stores. Yes, it contains iodine—but that’s a double-edged sword.
Excess iodine intake can trigger thyroid dysfunction, including hypothyroidism and thyroiditis.
If you’re eating a balanced diet and using iodized salt, you’re probably not iodine-deficient, but you can become iodine-toxic with concentrated seaweed supplements.
Reference:
- Leung AM et al. (2012). Iodine nutrition in the United States: Strategies and trends. Endocrine Practice, 18(5), 566–573. https://doi.org/10.4158/EP12167.RA
Science Over Hype: What Actually Works
Here’s the unsexy truth:
- Eat mostly plants
- Choose whole over ultra-processed foods
- Use olive oil, not coconut oil
- Get your fiber from food, not powder
- Supplements are okay... but legumes are better
- Don’t fear carbs—fear quackery
The Mediterranean diet remains the most evidence-supported eating pattern. It reduces cardiovascular risk, supports gut health, and—surprise—it doesn’t require imported mushrooms or blue-green algae.
Reference:
- Sofi F et al. (2010). Accruing evidence on benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on health: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(5), 1189–1196. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2010.29673
Pill vs. Pinto: What to Eat Instead of Swallowing Hype
Here’s a quick reality check:
- Cholesterol lowering? → Skip red yeast rice. Eat beans.
- Magnesium? → Lentils, not gummies.
- Iron? → Cook with cast iron and eat leafy greens, not liver capsules.
- Fiber supplements? → Pinto beans do it better—and they taste good.
Supplements aren’t evil, but they shouldn’t replace actual food. Nutrients work best in their native habitat: inside whole, delicious, minimally processed foods.
Final Thoughts: No One Food Saves You
If a food promises miracle cures, detox powers, or “anti-aging” effects, it’s marketing, not medicine.
Superfoods are sold as shortcuts. But health takes consistency.
Eat well, real, and boring sometimes. It works.
And next time someone hands you a turmeric liver cleanse shot after a night of margaritas? Just tell them: Fork U.
Dr. Terry Simpson
Surgeon. Culinary Medicine Nerd. Your Chief Medical Explanationist.
If you want more unfiltered food and medicine insights, subscribe to my podcast [FORK U] and follow me @DrTerrySimpson on Instagram and TikTok.
Transcript
>> Dr. Terry Simpson: On today's episode, we're going to talk about
Speaker:superfoods. Or are they really snake
Speaker:oils? Or why your acai bowl won't
Speaker:cure cancer? And also why you should maybe stop
Speaker:listening to your friend who sells sea moss on
Speaker:Instagram.
Speaker:I'm Dr. Terry Simpson, your chief medical explanationist,
Speaker:and this is for Q Fork
Speaker:University, where we bust myths, make sense of the
Speaker:madness, and teach you a little bit about food and
Speaker:medicine.
Speaker:Let's start with a harsh truth. The
Speaker:term superfood means absolutely
Speaker:nothing in science. It's a marketing term
Speaker:born in the early 2000s, fueled by
Speaker:desperate food companies and Gwyneth
Speaker:Paltrow's glowing skin.
Speaker:What gets labeled a superfood? Maybe a
Speaker:study, maybe a molecule, maybe a press release.
Speaker:And suddenly blueberries are the key to immortality.
Speaker:And if you're not spooning chia seeds into your overnight
Speaker:oats, you must want heart disease.
Speaker:Now don't get me wrong, I love blueberries. I think
Speaker:they're great. I do have chia seeds in my overnight
Speaker:oats. And I love avocados. They're delicious,
Speaker:but that doesn't make them magical.
Speaker:And the superfood label is just a health
Speaker:halo with a price tag.
Speaker:Let's pick on turmeric for a m minute. People love
Speaker:to say it cures inflammation. Many people
Speaker:approach me on TikTok and say what should they do with turmeric?
Speaker:Because they have inflammation. And there are thousands
Speaker:of articles that cite curcumin, which is
Speaker:turmeric's active compound, as anti
Speaker:inflammatory. Here's the
Speaker:Curcumin doesn't absorb well in your gut.
Speaker:Your gut treats it like an uninvited guest. Clinical
Speaker:trials mixed at best. Most are funded
Speaker:by supplement companies with more turmeric to sell than
Speaker:data to show. And now the part they
Speaker:really don't put on the turmeric
Speaker:has been linked to liver failure. There
Speaker:are multiple case reports of turmeric induced
Speaker:hepatitis in even otherwise healthy
Speaker:individuals, especially when mixed with alcohol or
Speaker:when taken in high dosed supplement form.
Speaker:So if you think downing a turmeric shot after a night of
Speaker:tequila will detox your liver fork, no.
Speaker:That golden drink might actually damage it.
Speaker:And in cases, it's even led to urgent liver
Speaker:transplantation. So here's my Keep
Speaker:your liver. It's the only one you've got. And turmeric will
Speaker:not grow you another. And maybe be the designated
Speaker:driver. I mean, it's time to grow up.
Speaker:Let's talk about a couple of other darlings in the wellness world. Let's talk
Speaker:about sea moss. People love it for thyroid
Speaker:support, gut health and vibrations, whatever those
Speaker:are. Sure, sea moss contains
Speaker:iodine and some trace minerals, but take
Speaker:too much and your thyroid's going to shut
Speaker:down. There's nothing like hypothyroidism
Speaker:leading to cardiac arrhythmias. And, you know, that's
Speaker:kind of the opposite of good vibes. And then
Speaker:there's RFK Jr. S favorite
Speaker:raw milk, the new status symbol for
Speaker:crunchy TikTok wellness warriors. Look,
Speaker:I get the nostalgia, but, uh, this isn't
Speaker:a return to tradition. It's a return to
Speaker:listeria, salmonella, escherichia
Speaker:coli, campylobacter, and tuberculosis.
Speaker:You know, pasteurization wasn't invented to ruin
Speaker:your rustic milk aesthetic. It was invented
Speaker:to prevent deaths. Raw milk
Speaker:causes miscarriages, sepsis, kidney failure,
Speaker:and death in children. If you're
Speaker:drinking unpasteurized milk because someone online says it
Speaker:has more nutrient value or more enzyme, ask
Speaker:them how many funerals those enzymes have been to.
Speaker:And then pasteurize your milk. Because the truth of the
Speaker:matter is there is no more nutrient value in
Speaker:unpasteurized raw milk at all.
Speaker:But there are bacteria. And I don't care how good the
Speaker:farm looks until you can actually get a
Speaker:microbiologist out there, your best
Speaker:is pasteurization. You
Speaker:know, here's the part where I sound boring, but actually
Speaker:give some good advice. Like eat mostly
Speaker:plants. Prioritize whole foods over ultra
Speaker:processed. Use olive oil like an
Speaker:Italian grandmother. Get your fiber if you need it from
Speaker:powders, that's fine, but it's better from real food. And
Speaker:supplements are okay, but legumes are better. And
Speaker:don't fear carbs. Fear
Speaker:nonsense. The Mediterranean diet remains the
Speaker:most evidence backed dietary pattern on
Speaker:the planet. Not because it has superfoods,
Speaker:but because it has balance. Tomatoes, beans,
Speaker:whole grains, fish, olive oil. Not
Speaker:flashy, but dangerous. Deeply effective.
Speaker:So you do not need powdered lion's mane from the
Speaker:Himalayas. You need beans, lentils, chickpeas.
Speaker:Foods that have been sustaining civilization longer than
Speaker:those TikTok shirtless salesmen of supplements and
Speaker:scams have existed. Let's talk
Speaker:about lowering cholesterol.
Speaker:Soluble fiber from beans beats red
Speaker:yeast rice any day. And
Speaker:statins beat both of them. What about
Speaker:magnesium for blood pressure? It turns out that a cup of
Speaker:legumes, which is like beans, chickpeas,
Speaker:gives you a hefty magnesium dose, plus protein,
Speaker:plus fiber and no mystery additives. And
Speaker:if your body has enough magnesium, food
Speaker:doesn't cause it to take more and give you the well
Speaker:I need to go to the bathroom for this. And while
Speaker:vitamins might fill gaps, and vitamins are very important
Speaker:for people who are on GLP1 drugs. People who've had weight
Speaker:loss surgery, people who are pregnant are going to become pregnant. Or
Speaker:people on weird diets. Food gives you
Speaker:synergy, nutrients, working together like a jazz band,
Speaker:not like a solo act. So supplements have their
Speaker:place. But if you're skipping legumes and swallowing
Speaker:capsules, you're missing the point.
Speaker:Here's a few other little tricks. Bone broth. It's not
Speaker:magical. It's a decent source of collagen. But it
Speaker:will not erase wrinkles. It will not
Speaker:seal up your gut. It will not fix leaky
Speaker:gut. Goji berries. Overhyped,
Speaker:expensive raisins with a press agent. Acai
Speaker:bowls. Basically, it's sorbet with
Speaker:granola. Raw milk. Again,
Speaker:bacteria are not your friends. Beets for
Speaker:nitric oxide or beetroot powder.
Speaker:It's been helpful for elite athletes, but not your
Speaker:average couch potato. Matcha,
Speaker:Huberman's current favorite. Yep, it contains
Speaker:antioxidant. But if you're chasing youths, wear
Speaker:sunscreen. And you know what? Black tea works
Speaker:just as well. So superfoods are great
Speaker:clickbait. But real health isn't
Speaker:about one food, one supplement,
Speaker:one ground up beef heart. It's about
Speaker:patterns, consistency, and let's be
Speaker:honest, a lot less
Speaker:Instagrammable meals. So the
Speaker:next time someone tries to sell you health in a jar,
Speaker:just remember for Q.
Speaker:This podcast was researched and produced by me, Dr. Terri
Speaker:Simpson. And while I am a doctor, I am not
Speaker:your doctor. This information is for your
Speaker:entertainment and educational purposes only. And if
Speaker:you're making changes to your diet, please consult a real board
Speaker:certified physician and registered dietitian, not a
Speaker:chiropractor, homeopath, or even eastern trained shaman.
Speaker:Distribution handled by my friends at simpler media. The
Speaker:pod got himself Mr. Evo
Speaker:Terra. Have a great week. Everybody be
Speaker:skeptical. Eat real food. We'll see you
Speaker:next week.
Speaker:Hey, Evo, what's your personal
Speaker:superfood? I'm going to give you mine. It's
Speaker:coffee, black, over roasted,
Speaker:epidemiologically sound.
Speaker:I'm strong to the finish. Cause I eat space
Speaker:spinach. I'm popped by the sailor.
Speaker:Um.
