{"id":417105,"date":"2026-04-25T16:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T16:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/417105\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T16:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T16:02:14","slug":"chef-ranveer-brar-calls-superfood-a-marketing-stunt-says-real-nutrition-lies-in-indias-traditional-food-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/417105\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Ranveer Brar calls \u2018superfood\u2019 a marketing stunt, says real nutrition lies in India\u2019s traditional food wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

The global wellness industry is worth over a trillion dollars, and much of it revolves around one powerful buzzword: superfood. But who actually defines it? And who decides which ingredient earns the label? According to Ranveer Brar<\/a>, the answer is far less scientific than we assume and far more commercial.<\/p>\n

\"RanveerRanveer Brar critiques superfood marketing, emphasises the value of traditional Indian ingredients.<\/p>\n

In an April 24 podcast with Soha Ali Khan, chef Ranveer Brar shared his perspective on the subject, offering a candid look at how food trends are shaped and marketed today. (Also read: Chef Ranveer Brar shares easy and delicious mango milkshake and smoothie recipes: See step-by-step preparation<\/a> )<\/p>\n

Ranveer Brar on India\u2019s traditional ingredients<\/p>\n

Ranveer Brar began by addressing the ongoing quinoa-versus-millets debate. While millets<\/a> are often praised for being more affordable and nutrient-dense, he offered a more balanced view. Quinoa\u2019s global rise, he said, actually helped bring long-overdue attention back to millets.<\/p>\n

He highlighted several traditional Indian ingredients that are nutritional powerhouses in their own right. Ragi (finger millet) is rich in calcium and essential micronutrients, while fruits like jamun and falsa stand out for their deep colour and high antioxidant content. Makhana (fox nuts), too, offer impressive fibre content and help keep you fuller for longer.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s effect-first food philosophy<\/p>\n

What connects these foods, he explained, is India\u2019s long-standing effect-first approach to nutrition. \u201cEat it because it works,\u201d he said, recalling how Indian households never relied on scientific explanations, only lived experience. He even shared a childhood memory of his grandmother grinding moringa roots and giving him the juice, guided purely by inherited wisdom.<\/p>\n

Brar linked this philosophy to Ayurveda<\/a>, which focuses on observable effects rather than isolated chemical causes. In contrast, modern Western nutrition often works in reverse, identifying compounds first and then studying their impact. \u201cOur science is engineered differently,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

This difference, he added, may also explain why Indian ingredients took longer to gain global recognition. The famous turmeric episode, when a German company attempted to patent haldi\u2019s healing properties, served as a reminder of how deeply valuable India\u2019s everyday ingredients truly are.<\/p>\n

The \u201csuperfood\u201d debate<\/p>\n

On the idea of \u201csuperfoods\u201d itself, Brar was clear and direct. \u201cIt\u2019s a marketing stunt,\u201d he said. \u201cWho defines superfoods? A company trying to sell a product.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed out how modern wellness<\/a> marketing often relies on listing complex chemical compounds to build credibility, even when most consumers neither understand nor need that information. In reality, he said, it\u2019s less about health and more about selling a story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The global wellness industry is worth over a trillion dollars, and much of it revolves around one powerful…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[27359,117897,103,61,182866,60,446,5584,64203],"class_list":{"0":"post-417105","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-ayurveda","9":"tag-chef-ranveer-brar","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-indian-ingredients","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-nutrition","15":"tag-superfood","16":"tag-wellness-industry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}