Like most people, my favourite memory of Matt Dawson is seeing him make that pass to Jonny Wilkinson in the 2003 World Cup Final. Since then he has endeared himself to the public even more with his humour on TV shows like A Question of Sport, Celebrity MasterChef and Strictly Come Dancing. So it is safe to say I was more than a little concerned when I caught an advert for Bioglan Superfoods the other day with Mr Dawson standing front and centre.
I don’t know if it was because it was Matt Dawson, or maybe I’m just getting soft, but I decided I would take a much closer look at Bioglan before labelling Dawson a corporate sell-out. So just in case you haven’t been able to catch the advert, it is basically Matt Dawson telling you to give some of the Bioglan Superfoods a try because of their wide ranging health benefits.
In previous posts I have made no secret of my disdain for the word superfoods. It is a marketing term – a word generated by business to help sell products, not a word that is overly used by scientists, doctors and dieticians. But this a business that is trying to make money. Why shouldn’t they use a marketing term? Unfortunately I am coming from a health and fitness perspective though. That being said and forgetting their use of terminology for a moment, what do these products offer?
Thankfully Bioglan carefully identify all the potential health benefits of using their products and even let you know which products to use for individual health concerns.
- Beating Stress – Stress exists almost everywhere, whether you are at home, at work or even in between. But we aren’t talking about acute stress here. Often that is dealt with by our own individual character, i.e. fight-or-flight. When it comes to chronic stress though, our diet can play a huge part. Bioglan believe that their superfoods hold the key to combating some of the symptoms of stress, like heartburn, indigestion and psychological problems. They claim that using their products that utilise acai, goji and blueberries will, ‘help repair and protect cells’. That sounds more like treating stress to me though, not beating it.
- Digestion – Cramps, bloating, excess wind and all those other issues are not nice at all. As soon as you identify a digestive problem, the little voice inside your head should be screaming FIBRE. Bioglan identify this and suggest the use of chia seeds that can be added to stir fries to increase our fibre intake. Thank heavens, where else would we ever get fibre? Our prayers have been answered! I jest.
- Heart Disease – According to Bioglan Superfoods heart disease is, ‘almost completely avoidable’. And yes, that is a direct quote from their website. Their magic remedy is beetroot, which with its anti-inflammatory properties are great for maintaining a healthy heart and improving circulation.
- Healthy Weight – The message that Bioglan stress here is that it is about suppressing hunger. As we know foods that are high in fibre and that have a low GI are great for this. Thankfully they manage to correctly identify this. So flax seeds are great because they can easily be added to cereals and salads.
It might seem that I have taken a particularly strong stance against Bioglan Superfoods. The truth is that a lot of what they say is completely accurate and they have some good ideas. I especially like how they put weight issues down to people being, ‘overfed and undernourished’, as well as stressing that they are not a ‘harrowing diet[s]’.
The problem I do have is that everything they offer comes at quite a high price. They exist to make a profit, I understand that. There products are most likely effective and well tested and they stress the need for hydration, exercise and regular meals. But you aren’t getting a magic potion. You can get most of the ingredients they use at a decent market. With just a little bit of research you can get everything they offer at a fraction of the price.
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