Superfoods in Hawaiʻi: Eating the Rainbow
by Megan Herndon
There’s a lot of hype around the idea of “superfoods.” But there’s no scientific definition of what makes food a superfood.
“Superfood is more of a marketing word than a scientific word, but the general idea is that it’s a food with lots of nutritional benefits,” says Dr. Jodi Leslie Matsuo, Registered Dietitian at Kukui Lifestyle Clinic in Captain Cook, HI.
Dr. Leslie strives to help her patients lead healthy lifestyles and get all of the nutrients they need through a balanced diet. Many people come to her thinking that they need to eat very specific foods to be healthy. Those are often the foods included in health guidelines from the U.S. government—apples, oranges, grapes—or those commonly labeled “superfoods,” like salmon, kale, and blueberries.
But if you live in Hawaiʻi, those foods are often expensive, imported, not fresh, and uncommon in local dishes.
“I’m always telling people that kale, apples, and oranges aren’t the only healthy foods,” Dr. Leslie said. “Leafy greens, like watercress and bok choy, and fruits, like mangos and papayas— our local foods are full of all the nutrients we need.”
The right nutrients
Dr. Leslie remembers one prevalent guideline from when she first started studying nutrition: If you want to be strong and healthy, you need to drink milk. But when she thought about her own Hawaiian culture—and how Westerners first described Hawaiians as “strong, sturdy, and muscular people”—that milk guideline didn’t make sense.
“There was this idea that people who didn’t drink milk were weak and frail,” she said. “But pre-contact Hawaiians never had a drop of milk in their life.”
She started digging deeper into the specific nutrients needed to build strong bones and muscles, like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Turned out that a diet of traditional Hawaiian staples like limu (seaweed), taro leaves, and fish, has all of those nutrients and more.
That was one of the first times she thought critically about how the U.S. government-issued health guidelines might need to look different to serve the people of Hawaiʻi. But it wasn’t the last.
Bridging knowledge
Dr. Leslie completed her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, all in nutrition and public health-related fields, before returning to her hometown of Kona on Hawaiʻi Island. In Kona, she had the opportunity to study with kupuna (Hawaiian elders), and learn more about traditional diets and healing methods. She incorporates many of these traditional philosophies and remedies into her practice today.
“Some people are surprised to learn about modern scientific research into traditional remedies, like noni, māmaki tea, and limu,” Dr. Leslie said. “Whenever I’m giving talks or writing articles, I’ll always include those evidence-based studies, which can bridge traditional and Western medicine.”
Finding superfoods in Hawaiʻi
Dr. Leslie often shares two simple ideas with people who wish to eat a healthy, local diet: there are plenty of local superfoods; and an easy way to start eating more of them is to follow a guideline many nutritionists call “eating the rainbow.”
“Start with foods that are deeper in color,” she said. “Dark green, blue, purple, orange. The more color the better.”
Deep and brightly colored fruits and vegetables are often packed with vitamins and minerals so eating foods of many different colors can ensure you’re getting a wide variety of nutrients. Dr. Leslie recommends incorporating the following foods into your diet to help people eat the rainbow in Hawaiʻi.
Dark greens
Dark, leafy greens are full of vitamins and minerals that help keep our hearts healthy and can help lower the risk of diseases like osteoporosis and cancer. Kale, spinach, and chard are often recommended as good sources of leafy greens. Some local additions to that list include mustard and Chinese cabbages, bok choy, watercress, moringa, and sweet potato greens.
Dark red, blue, and purple
Red, blue, and purple foods are often rich in anthocyanins, which can help prevent heart disease and diabetes, and maintain healthy vision and brain function. Blueberries, blackberries, and beets might be common choices on a continental plate, but some Hawaiʻi-local options include eggplant, ʻuala (sweet potato), poi (cooked, mashed taro), purple cabbages, and ʻōhelo berries.
Pink, yellow, and orange
Pink, yellow, and orange foods are often packed with vitamin C and carotenoids. Vitamin C helps your body to make healthy blood vessels and muscles, as well as heal from infections and wounds. Some studies have found a correlation between consuming vitamin C and lowering the risk of certain cancers, and yes, reducing the risk of age-related vision problems. Carotenoids can also lower the risk of heart disease, brain disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
“A lot of people think of oranges as a top superfood packed with vitamin C,” Dr. Leslie said. “But guavas actually have more than twice as much vitamin C as oranges.”
Other local favorites with these nutrients include papaya, mango, calamansi, ʻōlena, pineapple, lychee, and Kabocha squash.
Super healing: Local medicinal plants and herbs
The concept of superfoods often focuses on foods with many health benefits, and Dr. Leslie believes that concept can extend to foods that help treat or prevent disease. Hawaiians have used many plants and herbs to promote wellness and healing for centuries. Today, some of those plants are being studied at labs and universities as potential treatments for cancer, heart disease, and other health problems.
Noni (Morinda citrifolia)
This small, evergreen plant grows in Hawaiʻi, many other Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia. In traditional Hawaiian medicine, noni is often used for skin problems and boosting the immune system. In lab studies, scientists have found antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antitumor (cancer-fighting) properties in noni, but more studies are needed to fully understand its benefits.
“It helps for pretty much anything related to the skin,” Dr. Leslie said. “For example, sometimes with centipede bites you can experience pain for one or even two months after, but noni can help draw the poison out and help you feel better faster.”
Māmaki (Pipturus albidus)
This flowering plant is in the nettle family. For centuries, Hawaiians have been making tea from its leaves to help fight infections and promote general wellness.
A 2023 study including researchers from the University of North Carolina, University of Hawaiʻi, Wake Forest University, and Sungkyunkwan University, found that māmaki may help fight bacteria, viruses, and reduce inflammation. Study results also suggest that it may have a role in preventing chronic diseases and reducing the risk of cancer and arthritis.
‘Ōlena (Curcuma longa or turmeric)
This flowering plant native to Southeast Asia was brought to Hawai‘i by early Polynesian settlers. It has been used in traditional Hawaiian medicine as well as in China and other countries to treat skin problems, digestive issues, and infections. Modern studies have found evidence that turmeric is high in antioxidants and can help fight infections. It may also help protect the brain and heart, and help the body fight cancer.
Limu (seaweed): Healing the body and the spirit
Limu practitioner Malia Heimuli first heard this story from her predecessor, Wally Ito: A woman found a surfer on the beach with a deep cut on his leg. She quickly made a paste from a type of seaweed called limu kala and packed his wound. The EMTs were shocked when they arrived—the paste had stopped the bleeding.
That’s one of many stories about the healing properties of limu that Heimuli has heard from her community and kupuna (elders). Heimuli is the coordinator for Limu Hui, an organization dedicated to gathering, caring for, and restoring native Hawaiian limu. Part of their mission is to share stories and raise awareness about limu among Hawaiʻi residents.
“We think about limu as healing not just the body but the spirit as well,” she said.
She explained that limu kala has also long been a part of hoʻoponopono, a traditional ceremony for problem-solving and making things right. Sometimes, at the end of the ceremony, people put on a lei of limu kala and walk out into the water.
“One translation of kala is ‘to forgive,’” she said. “So when the person submerges in the water, the lei floats out into the ocean—as they forgive, let it out and let go.”
This healing power and cultural significance helps explain why protecting native limu is so important to Heimuli and the Limu Hui.
“We think about limu not just as an important part of the marine ecosystem, but what it means to us as kanaka (Native Hawaiians),” she said. “We need these ceremonies, we need these spiritual connections. We restore these areas so limu can thrive again. So, in turn, we can thrive.”
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