It is mostly common knowledge that fruit is an essential part of the human diet that provides many benefits from eating a recommended amount of servings each day. However, some fruits contain higher levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than other items in this food group. These fruits, and sometimes vegetables, are known as "superfruits."
What Is A Superfruit?
Superfruits, according to FoodProcessing.com, are any fruit that is "particularly high in nutrients, especially antioxidants."
Fruits that fit these properties have been around and a part of many diets for a long time, but when the phrase "superfruit" was coined in 2005 as a marketing term, many fruits that were both exotic and standard in Western culture were branded as superfruits.
What Makes Superfruits "Super?"
There are several different superfruits, but the main thing that unites them all is that each kind of fruit contains a high level of some kind of nutrient.
Superfruits are usually rich in one or more kinds of antioxidants, or nutrients that combat free radicals that are produced as a result of bodily processes. Free radicals can cause damage to many bodily organs and systems, leading to many life-threatening conditions if free radicals are not combated in some way.
Antioxidants help fight free radicals by preventing cells from becoming damaged in the oxidation process. It is this damage and stress on bodily cells that causes them to turn into free radicals in the first place.
Kinds of Superfruits
Some superfruits are more "super" than others, depending on the level of antioxidants and nutrients present in the fruit. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture also ranks some spices on its Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) scale. Some popular superfruits and superfoods include exotic and common parts of Western diets:
- ground cloves
- blueberries
- strawberries
- cherries
- cranberries
- raisins
- acai berries
- pomegranates
- elder berries
- black currants
Many of these superfruits and others on the ORAC scale can be found at farmer's markets, supermarkets, and natural food stores in many areas across the world.
Other foods that are found on the ORAC scale include cocoa, spinach, red bell peppers, corn, onions, and eggplant. While these foods are not fruit, they do contain high levels of antioxidants and various nutrients that make them beneficial to the human diet and aid in fighting diseases and bodily damage caused by every day life or other habits, such as smoking, drinking, or having a stressful lifestyle.
Superfruits contain many beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that help improve the health and well-being of individuals of varying dietary needs. By consuming a well-balanced diet and including superfruits, eating right can be beneficial and tasty for everyone, regardless of their individual tastes.
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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