Washington ? There is food, and then there is superfood.

Salmon, trout and albacore tuna may reduce the risk of heart disease. Also promising are olive oil, almonds, walnuts, Cheerios and Boca Burgers.

Scott Emanuel, a community marketing coordinator for Wild Oats, displays some of the literature on superfoods that the store supplies to customers at a store in St. Louis. Superfoods help fight disease or make people healthier.

These foods, which go beyond basic nutrition and help fight disease or make you healthier, are what shoppers increasingly want.

At a health food store in St. Louis, Inda Schaenen loaded her cart with whole-grain bread, brown rice, beans and green leaf lettuce — all labeled as “superfoods.”

“I have three growing children, so I look for foods high in vitamins, fiber and protein,” said Schaenen, a 44-year-old writer. “I don’t want growth hormones and pesticide.”

Wild Oats, a chain of health food stores, is promoting 20 different “superfoods,” from berries to seeds and yogurt. Not only are they healthier because of fewer calories, they add vitamins and minerals, cancer-fighting antioxidants and other healthy components.

“We wanted to say, ‘Here are things you should be adding to your diet, rather than taking things away,”‘ said Wild Oats spokeswoman Sonja Tuitele. “If you’re going to buy nuts, choose almonds. If you’re going to buy deli meat, choose boneless, skinless turkey breast.”

Nine in 10 shoppers have bought foods because the packages had health or nutritional claims, according to a 2004 survey by the Food Marketing Institute, which represents retailers and wholesalers.