We talk a lot about incorporating more plant-based foods in your diet, and one category of food that is essential to healthy living is superfruits. What is a superfruit exactly? Basically, it’s a fruit that contains a large amount of antioxidants, vitamins and other essential nutrients. Why do you need them? Well, there are a wide variety of benefits to eating superfruits, but specifically they help improve how our immune system functions.
In fact, more than 200,000 studies on antioxidants have been conducted since the 1940s, and over time have found that they essentially absorb free radical molecules from our bodies. Without going too deeply into a molecular science lesson, these molecules essentially cause diseases in our bodies by destabilizing other molecules in our body (check out this article for a more detailed understanding of how this works).
The bottom line: Eating more superfruits can help your body fight disease, live longer, and have more energy. What’s not to love?
What Superfruits Should You Eat?
A lot of time, we think of more exotic, tropical fruits when we think of superfruits. However, there are actually a wide variety of fruits that fall into this category, many of them available year round at your local grocery store. And many are seasonally available in our region as well. Some of these include:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Lemons
- Limes
- Plums
- Pomegranates
As you can see, there’s no need to hunt out hard-to-find exotic berries or fruits (acai berries, for example). You can often find what you need locally. There are many local farms in our region that grow these, and going on a picking adventure is a great way to also spend time with the kids! (If you’re looking for more ideas, Health.com has a pretty good list.)
How To Get More Superfruits Into Your Diet
There are many products on the market that use the phrases superfruit or high in antioxidants or similar types of phrases. Usually, you’ll see fruit juices, fruit-based snacks, or other type of product intended to enhance your food. However, consumers should know that not all of these products are entirely what they claim to be. To be on the safe side, it’s best to go right to the source, that is, incorporating the fruits directly into the diet is the best way to get the benefits they offer.
Some ideas to use superfruits include:
- Yogurt parfaits
- Making your own dehydrated fruit snacks
- Incorporating fruit into savory dishes
- Smoothies! (check out our Shakthi in the Kitchen recipes)
Schedule an appointment with one of our nutritionists, and get a personalized plan to eat?and live healthier.