The everyday British fruits that deserve ‘superfood’ status

Fruits might be sugary but they’re also full of fibre

In recent years it has become popular among some dieters to criticise fruit for the amount of sugar it contains, but this isn’t really fair, says Jenna Hope, nutritionist and author of How To Stay Healthy. 

“The sugar in fruit is fructose and glucose, which can cause blood sugar spikes, but fruit typically contains a lot of fibre, which helps release the sugars into the bloodstream at a much lower rate than if you were to consume the same amount of sugar in sweets or cakes for example,” explains Hope. “Frankly the sugar in fruit doesn’t come close to outweighing the health benefits. The exception is that once you start juicing fruit, you break up the fibre so the sugar becomes more available.”

Eating local may help ensure you get more nutrients

Unusual and interesting fruits are often dubbed ‘superfoods’ as a marketing technique, and their appeal lies in their exoticism, often meaning they’ve travelled a long way to get into a consumer’s fruit bowl. That sometimes means they’ve lost some nutrients on the way. 

“Fruit is generally high in nutrients like vitamin C but those nutrients are sensitive to oxygen, so the longer the time between picking and eating, the more that is lost,” explains Hope. 

Practical considerations for growers and transporters are also liable to trump quality and taste too, says Pam Bede, nutritionist from Abbott’s Lingo, a biosensor and app combo that aims to retrain your metabolism. “Generally growers choose varieties which are best able to be transported versus choosing varieties for flavour and texture,” Bede says. “It’s the bright and brilliant colouring in fruit which is bringing a lot of the nutrients to the table; if that isn’t the priority then the fruit will be less nutritious than those grown for transport.”

So which traditional and nutrient-rich British fruits deserve the ‘superfood’ label? 

Apples

“The humble apple isn’t championed as much as it should be – they’re affordable, easy to eat and versatile,” says Hope. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Not far wrong.”

Studies have shown that people who eat apples daily are 13-22 per cent less likely to develop heart disease and less likely to die of lung cancer. That’s because they’re rich in antioxidants, notably one called quercetin, which lowers inflammation around the body. 

“They are also very fibrous, particularly rich in a fibre called pectin, which binds to cholesterol and stops the body from absorbing it, so apples have been shown to help lower cholesterol,” says Hope.