..may not really work for everyone. Trends are like that–they come; they go. No matter how many superfoods, aka, miracle ingredients or products that get special label marketing can survive the reality test. There is no cure-all for life’s realities: Aging and all its precursor cousins. Sure some fruits and vegetables are particularly healthy in and of themselves, but we cannot live on them alone. No matter what. It’s becoming a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff. Ok enough of that.

Realistically, confusion centers around the importance of antioxidants. It seems if you write high in antioxidants on the label, that almost guarantees high sales! How do these claims get tested? Who monitors reality? My favorite antioxidant claims are on products that are well known antioxidant fighters–fruits already high in antioxidants now jump out of the bins and off the shelves if they have the antioxidant banner.

What are these antioxidants and can we really get enough or the right amount from food? The foods that are naturally high in antioxidants are the easiest to take. If you’re going to concentrate on antioxidants and its benefits, summer is a wonderful season for you with its own natural bounty of antioxidants: BERRIES. Eat up, enjoy, skip the hype; it’s a natural occurrence. On the vegetable side, gardens are just beginning to produce the ultimate summer joy: TOMATOES. Sure there are numerous other foods high in antioxidants, and many antioxidant health claims may actually bear fruit.

Then there’s the whole beta carotene discussion. The old universe said eat your carrots. Limited explanation followed other than the statement: They’re good for you.  Now they are not just carrots but a food high in the all-important, necessary beta carotene, an important antioxidant. Don’t forget when you visit the farm markets, there are other easy choices: beets, cabbage, and kale, for example.

Then there is the new wonder product, the acai berry.  It seems to be touted everywhere. Unclear what it really does for you. It’s possible that no one knows the real answer, but when a product gets so heavily promoted so quickly, it moves into my suspect category.

Foods that promise can only promise more than they can deliver. Great skin, perfect eyesight, immune boosters, anti-aging, diet loss are just some of the claims that are part of the promise universe. We are looking for too many cure-alls.

What works is the same thing that has always worked: Smart eating. Not overeating.

That I am sure of.