Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.

With all the marketing hooplah over superfoods like acai, goji and noni, we tend to forget that some of the best superfoods on the planet are right under our noses and don't cost an arm and a leg (like some of these overpriced multi-level marketed juice drinks do). And the latest hero to emerge on the superstar galaxy is, get ready for this: Plums. Yup, plums.

Food scientist Dr. Luis Cisneros and plant breeder David Byrne judged more than 100 varieties of plums, peaches and nectarines and found them to match (or even exceed) the highly valued blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients. According to Byrne, one inexpensive plum contains about the same amount of antioxidants as a handful of blueberries.

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Superfoods. Every so often a food will be splashed across the pages of magazines and on TV shows and touted as the new miracle food. Once the hype ball starts rolling, it's hard to stop. The next thing you know, that so-called superfood will be blended into beauty products, sold as a supplement and claimed to be a cure-all.

Recently, I asked you about your opinion of so-called superfoods. Here's what you had to say:

• 76 percent of you aren't fooled by the hype. You believe superfoods are often healthful, but no more so than other healthy foods. What a great, balanced way to view it. Most foods that are deemed "super" are, by definition, healthful. But that doesn't mean they need to be consumed by the wagon load. Choose a varied, nutritious diet and incorporate superfoods just like you would any other healthy food.
  
• 11 percent of you eat as many superfoods as possible. You believe that they wouldn't make the claims if they weren't true. Well, you're kind of correct and kind of incorrect. I'm not aware of any unhealthy superfoods. (I'm still waiting for Skittles to be deemed a superfood ... wouldn't that be great?) But once the media grabs hold of a so-called superfood, it starts showing up in all sorts of products ... and they're not all reliable. Check out Bev's post on the acai scam for a perfect example.
  
• 7 percent of you aren't sure what a superfood is and you'd rather munch on some Fritos. Superfood is generally used to describe a food that is high in phytonutrients and is believed to have health benefits. Sadly, Fritos are not included in the superfood category.
• 6 percent of you let it in one ear and out the other. You think it's all just hype and you ignore the so-called superfoods. A little skepticism is wise, but don't miss out all together. Try incorporating superfoods into an overall balanced diet.
  

Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

When is a food truly super? And when is it just another food with a really great marketing campaign behind it?

In many ways, food is like fashion. Certain items come into vogue ... and they can also lose their popularity. Take eggs for example -- for years they were vilified for cholesterol, now they're seen as an overall healthy food and weight loss aid. The superfood du jour may change -- blueberries, pomegranate, acai and so forth -- but the hype is the same. If you're to believe the advertising, these superfoods are a must for everybody. What do you think?

When a food item becomes a health trend, it starts popping up everywhere -- from energy drinks to sodas to diet pills, sometimes even in shampoo. The acai berry trend is one of the more recent nutrition buzzes... but is it worth all of the fuss?

According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, acai berries are rich in antioxidants and are a very nutritious food. However, Dr. Oz states that acai is as good as any other healthful food, not any better. One reporter and her husband decided to try out the acai diet -- he took capsules and she used a powdered drink mix. Not only was it expensive, the drink was gritty, and neither saw any weight loss results. And the cleansing drink that came with the acai diet was completely gag-inducing.

The lesson here is to not go overboard. When nutrition news hits the media, the marketing folks clamor on board and try to sell as many products as possible based on very limited science. Acai is a great food to incorporate into your diet but if you're expecting it to help you magically lose weight, cure disease and unclog your kitchen sink, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

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I'm not a big believer in the whole superfood concept. I think any diet that's filled with a variety of healthful, nutritious foods is going to be beneficial.

The other day, however, I got into a discussion with the mother of one of my son's teammates. She's reading Anticancer: A New Way of Life and is really learning a lot. Reviews of this book state that, while many of the recommendations are grounded in science, some are a little fuzzy around the edges. But, in my humble opinion, if a food is tasty, good for you in other ways, nutritionally sound, and may potentially ward off cancer or other diseases, then by all means ... go for it.

The book's author believes that 85% of cancer causes are environmental. The foods we eat are one of the most easily controlled factors. Three of the foods he recommends in moderation are garlic oil, red wine, and dark chocolate. Check out the gallery for more cancer-fighting foods.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

If you're a fan of the onion, I've got good news for you: The very bulb blamed for both bad breath and teary eyes simply bursts with health benefits, making it a SuperFood worth pursuing.

Onions, part of the Allium family of foods, inhibit growth of cancerous cells, increase good cholesterol when eaten raw, reduce overall cholesterol levels, minimize blood clots, ward off colds, pump up the immune system, cut the risk of diabetes and certain cancers, promote antibacterial and antifungal properties, and relieve stomach discomfort. Onions can even boost bone density (well, in newborn rats anyway), according to the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. And they contain more of the antioxidant quercetin than any other common fruit or vegetable. This makes the onion capable of reducing the risk of both heart disease and Alzheimer's.

Worried about the the onion's odor? Don't be -- the very sulfurous compounds that give onions their strong smell are what activate certain enzymes in the liver, prompting protective activity that lasts for hours.

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Oats were featured in a You Are What You Eat SuperFood post on Christmas Day. It seemed fitting for those living in cold-weather climates to spotlight a healthy, warm-yourself-up sort of food. And since January finds more people warming up to steaming bowls of oatmeal than any other month -- that's why January is designated National Oatmeal Month -- it seems a great time to spice up this SuperFood with both flavor and nutritional value. These few ideas do just that.

• Mix some dried organic blueberries into your piping-hot bowl of oats and add a few walnuts too. Enjoy the boost of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids these add-ins provide.
  
  

• Stir in some sliced banana and a spoonful of organic peanut butter to transform your oatmeal into a nutty, potassium-rich extravaganza.
  
  

• Try some low-fat granola, flaxseed, wheat germ, and sesame seeds next time you serve up your oats.
  
  

For a few more oatmeal toppers and some recipes too, visit the Quaker Oatmeal website here.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Kiwi is a popular fruit-salad topper at my house. We love it. It's sweet, a bit sour, and superbly healthy.

Kiwi tops the list when it comes to SuperFoods. From a study of 27 different fruits, kiwi was named one of the most nutritionally dense, says Stephanie Dean, R.D., dietitian with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. It's full of antioxidants, vitamin E, and lutein and can ward off vision problems, prevent blood clots, and lower cholesterol almost effectively as the SuperFood barley.

Dr. Steven Pratt calls kiwi one of the newest SuperFoods in his trendsetting book SuperFoods Healthstyle, but that doesn't 'mean kiwi is new to the nutrition scene. A two-piece serving of the fruit has twice the vitamin C of an orange -- also a SuperFood -- and as much potassium as a banana. It has as much fiber as one serving of bran flakes, all for about 100 calories, and it serves as a good source of magnesium. Kiwi is also a low-fat, sodium-free fruit.

It gets better.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Every time I walk into my local grocery store, scents of cinnamon drift my way, compliments of spiced-up holiday decorations strategically located just inside the sliding doors. On most school-day mornings, I make my boys slices of cinnamon toast. They always ask for more. And when I buy my favorite Yankee candles, I always grab the cinnamon varieties. I burn them whenever I'm home. I especially love them at Christmas time.

Think warm mugs of apple cider sprinkled with cinnamon, baked apples with crushed nuts and cinnamon on a cold winter day, or a cool glass of spiced tea on a hot summer afternoon and you're likely to conjure up visions of a Super Spice that's good for all seasons. Not only is cinnamon good, though. It's also quite healthy.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

According to the bloggers at The Daily Tiffin, a site devoted to fun and healthy lifestyles, chili peppers are one heck of a Superfood. High in antioxidant carotenes and flavonoids and containing about twice the amount of vitamin C found in citrus fruits, chilies can be added to just about any dish. Homemade soups, stews, chili, salads, and salsas are just a few.

Chilies, believed to have been around for more than 6,000 years, are a member of the plant genus "capsicum" (cap-sih-kum) and contain high levels of special compounds called capsaicinoids. This is what makes them so super. Capsaicinoids are responsible not only for the well-known spicy heat of chilies but also the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer, and heart-healthy effects offered by these potent peppers.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

If you scan a list of Superfoods, typically listed by doctors, nutritionists, and health magazines in alphabetical order, it will take a while before you land on yogurt. It's usually last on the list. But it's definitely not the least of these foods that allegedly enhance health, defy aging, and impede the progression of all sorts of illness and disease.

Just consider the dairy protein, the calcium, the friendly bacteria, the scrumptious taste, and the creamy texture and you've got one super health food. Add vitamins, fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and probiotics -- intended to help control both weight and regularity -- and WOW, yogurt packs quite a nutritional punch. Go organic, and you'll enjoy less sugar; fat; and artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

I have pineapple on my mind because we just happen to have a fresh one in our house. It's been sliced and diced into nice little squares, and it sits in a Tupperware bowl in our fridge right now. My boys and I are happy to have this juicy fruit during a time when all of our favorites -- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon -- are disappearing from the grocery store produce aisles. It's a great fruit for many reasons -- it's super for nibbling, super if you're in a pinch and need to grab a quick bite, super for school lunches, and well, it's just plain super.

Pineapple is a Superfood because of its healing power on the joints. A top source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps support joint health, pineapples have anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate osteoarthritis. Bromelain also cleans up dead cells after injury, helps reduce inflammation related to asthma, and even inhibits the growth of malignant cells in both lung and breast cancer.

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I always find it easier to work the daily recommendation of 7 to 8 servings of fruit and vegetables into my meals during the summer. All sorts of fresh produce is in season at that time of year making it pretty simple to include a variety of fruits and veggies into meals or just as a quick snack.

Now that winter is approaching, it's a bit more difficult to incorporate tasty produce into your diet each day. Strawberries are one fruit that I love which can usually be found at the supermarket all year round. The superfood is great for you as it's full of fiber, folate, vitamin C and antioxidants, which look after your heart and help protect against cancer, among other benefits.

If you'd like to incorporate more of the ripe, red berry into your meals, why not try some of the strawberry-enhanced meal suggestions offered here. For breakfast you can enjoy an English muffin topped with low-fat cream cheese and fresh, sliced strawberries, add strawberries to your favorite salad at lunch and enjoy chicken, vegetable and strawberry kebabs at dinner.

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If you haven't heard about the benefits of flaxseed yet, where have you been hiding? The superfood is full of fiber, can lower cholesterol as well as reduce the risk of heart disease, may protect again breast cancer and contains tonnes of Omega-3 fatty acids. So if you haven't added it to your diet, now is as good a time as any.

Many people choose to grind the seed, which can be found at most local grocery and health food stores, in a coffee bean grinder and then sprinkle it into yogurt, cereal or even pasta sauce. If you'd like a few new ideas, take a look at the three tasty recipes listed here.

You can treat yourself to a Raspberry Smoothie, try a delectable Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin or whip up some Flaxseed and Blueberry Pancakes, which include another superfood (blueberries) as a main ingredient. Having taken a look at the recipes, I'm already craving one of the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

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I'm relatively new to this fitness blog and one of the biggest benefits that I've discovered from writing posts is that it gets me to search out and learn more and more about health and fitness. One of the tings I've discovered since I started is the concept of a superfood. As Bethany mentions in her post 'What exactly is a superfood', these items are basically just incredibly good for you as they're high in a number of nutrients, vitamins and more.

The author of this piece takes the time to discuss 5 personal favorites, and the breakdown and accompanying information go something like this:

• Whole grain bread - Find a loaf with 2g of fiber or more per slice. It should also be made with whole wheat or whole grain (as opposed to enriched) flour.
• Wild salmon - As many of us have heard, farmed salmon is often full of harmful chemicals. Stick to wild salmon and you'll consume all of the Omega-3 goodness with far fewer accompanying chemicals.
• Green vegetables - Anything that has a rich, green color like kale, broccoli or spinach is great for you as these foods are full of fiber, vitamin E and calcium.
• Blueberries - This is one fruit I'm hearing about constantly lately. They contain loads of antioxidants (more than any other food, according to the article) and also provide you with a bunch of vitamin C. Plus, they're just as healthy frozen as they are fresh.
• Avocados - I know a lot of people who avoid avocados because they contain fat. This is true, but it's monounsaturated fat, which is good for your heart. Plus they contain vitamins C, K and B6 as well as fiber and folate.

To find out the rest of what the author of the article said about each superfood, take a look here.

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