Add Superfoods to Your Diet To Boost Wellness Levels

Eating a balanced and varied diet is vital for energy and good health. Here’s how to add some nutritional punch to dishes for all the family, inspired by superfoods from around the world.

The term “superfood” is a relatively recent – and often controversial – term for foods with a high nutritional density that cleverly offer maximum benefits for minimal calories. Containing a high percentage of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants – natural molecules that are only present in certain foods – they are thought to aid bone and body strength. As they are also packed with fibre and therefore filling, superfoods can be used as part of a calorie-controlled diet to reduce hunger and cravings for sugar-rich snacks. They play an important role in many diets across the world, and can help everyone to maintain healthy day-to-day eating plans.

Here are 10 superfoods – along with a brief explanation of their specific health-giving properties – that will soon have you feeling full of bounce when used as part of a healthy diet regime.

Low in calories and naturally sweet, berries are high in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants, making them one of the most healthy food groups you can eat. They have properties that work towards lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes; blueberries, bilberries, raspberries and strawberries are particularly effective when it comes to protecting the heart.

• Top tip: Add superfood berries to brighten up yoghurt and cereals for a nutritious breakfast, give them to kids as wholesome afternoon snacks, make fruit salads, bottle them as jam or add them to homemade pies for delicious desserts. Don’t worry about buying berries out of season; fruit freezes quickly and retains much of its nutritional value, so look for them in the freezer aisle of your supermarket. 

A fantastic source of minerals, protein and omega-3 fatty acids, fish protects against stroke, heart disease and the effects of ageing while also contributing to bone and brain function. Ideally we should be eating fish at least twice a week, and species with the highest dietary supercharge include trout, salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies or sardines. 

• Top tip: If you’re worried about the sustainability of eating fish, avoid cod, which has been seriously over-fished around the UK and Europe, in favour of equally tasty coley or pollack. Buy line-caught tuna or farmed shellfish (like mussels or oysters), and look for the Marine Stewardship Council seal of approval (a blue ✔️) on packaging in fishmongers or supermarkets. 

There’s a very, very long list of benefits to drinking green tea; used in traditional Chinese medicine for ailments from arthritis to depression, it has more than 450 different compounds in it, including polyphenols (natural nutrients that act as antioxidants) and anti-inflammatories. These work together to improve digestion, prevent cell damage leading to cancer, slow up physical ageing and benefit cardiovascular health.

• Top tip: Green tea is readily available in bag or loose leaf form in all supermarkets; make its effects even more powerful by drinking it in conjunction with citrus fruits rich in vitamin C. However, avoid drinking it late at night as it’s high in caffeine and may affect sleep patterns.

With the words of the late, great health expert Michael Mosley still ringing in our ears, we should be “eating 30 plants a week”. Include dark, leafy greens like chard, cabbage, turnip tops, bok choy, broccoli, spinach and kale in your weekly shop and you have a vital source of vitamins, calcium, fibre and phytochemicals (chemicals produced naturally by plants), all of which impact positively on your health. 

• Top tip: Kids are often resistant to eating greens – which help in bone development – so indulge in a little subterfuge to get them enjoying their veg. Make superfood smoothies with spinach, avocado and apple, or slice greens finely and sneak them into pizza toppings, pasta sauces and homemade burger recipes. 

Be it hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, almonds or pecans, all nuts are a source of plant protein – a good alternative for vegetarians and vegans who don’t eat animal proteins – as well as fibre and antioxidants. They also contain unsaturated (good) fats, which are a factor in minimising the risk of heart disease.

• Top tip: Include nuts in your daily diet as a healthy snack, but don’t eat them in abundance as they are highly calorific – if you’re looking for a lower-calorie option, pistachios are the ones to pick. Nuts can be sprinkled on yoghurt or salads, and eaten in spreads like peanut butter. 

Largely regarded as the original superfood, olive oil is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, famous for its association with longevity. Good-quality virgin oils abound in antioxidants to combat chronic diseases and are an excellent source of vitamins and good fatty acids, which can help battle against heart disease.

• Top tip: Olive oil is easy to embrace in your diet; use it in salad dressings, drizzle it over vegetables to roast in the oven, or use it for frying instead of butter. Irrepressible Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay is known for his love of using olive oil in cooking, calling it “liquid gold”.

Probiotics are live yeasts and bacteria that help aid digestion, alleviate depression and power up immune systems. The most commonly eaten probiotic in the UK is dairy yoghurt, while kefir, originating in eastern Turkey and found in many health-food shops, is a yoghurt-like drink made from fermented milk that packs a punch of protein and vitamins, as well as potassium and calcium for bone strength. 

• Top tip: Traditional regional diets feature ingredients high in probiotics. Fermented cabbage sauerkraut is served on hot dogs in Germany, kimchi is a similar food popular in South Korea, and soy-bean miso paste flavours soups and tofu dishes in Japan.

Just like nuts, chia, pumpkin, hemp, sesame and sunflower seeds are superfoods high in vitamins and minerals as well as healthy fats and antioxidants. Most are high in fibre and protein too, so they help to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, preventing heart disease and diabetes.

• Top tip: Add these versatile dietary powerhouses to porridge and yoghurt for a nutritious breakfast, toast and scatter them on salads for extra crunch or blitz them for superfood smoothies. Include sesame seeds on an Asian-style stir fry or put pumpkin seeds on top of comforting shepherd’s pie.

Tomatoes are everyday superfoods bursting with vitamin C, which manages blood pressure and boosts the production of collagen to maintain bone strength. They also contain lycopene (the red-coloured pigment) for a glowing skin, carotenoids to improve eyesight, and potassium for heart health.

• Top tip: Cooking tomatoes lowers their vitamin C levels, so eat them raw in salads. However, frying them in olive oil – itself a superfood, of course – allows the absorption of lycopene in your body, so use them as the basis for pasta sauces, stews and soups. 

Stuffed with digestible fibre, whole grains such as wild rice, buckwheat, bulgar wheat, oats and quinoa are also rich in vitamin B, minerals and antioxidants. Superstars even among superfoods, they can help lower cholesterol while protecting against heart disease, strokes, diabetes and some cancers.

• Top tip: Add whole grains into your diet by replacing refined cereals; buy bread made from whole-wheat flour, substitute a baked potato for bulgur wheat or add porridge oats to your breakfast menu – adding seasonal fruits will up your superfood intake even more.

No single foodstuff offers all the nutrition needed for a healthy diet. Nutritionists recommend  “combining healthy choices from all food groups,” so superfoods are not cure-all magic bullets when eaten on their own. Including them as part of your daily nutritional intake is great, but only when combined with a balanced eating plan. Aim to eat a “super diet” rather than concentrating on individual foods: following the Mediterranean diet, which uses olive oil and is largely plant-based, is known to carry significant health benefits.

As already shown with kimchi and miso being used extensively in Korean and Japanese gastronomy respectively, superfoods are not just part of the Western food lexicon; they feature in regional diets across the world.

African superfoods are full of exquisite flavours stacked with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, including amaranth (a quinoa-like grain that can also be eaten as a microgreen) and moringa powder, both often found in stews, soups and sauces. The fruit of the baobab tree produces collagen to benefit the skin and can be made into smoothies and ice cream or added to bread and brownies.

South American gastronomy first brought the super-grain quinoa to world attention; it can be used as anything from a salad base to breakfast cereal or protein ball. The cacao bean, basis of quality chocolate, is among the most nutritious foods on the planet, revered for its antioxidant properties and ability to release mood-enhancing dopamine as well as lower cholesterol, among several other benefits.

Asian cooking celebrates superfoods with the inclusion of turmeric (anti-inflammatory) and garlic (heart health) in many dishes including curries, pickles and rice dishes. Ginger and galangal are popular Asian ingredients aiding digestion, while soy-milk tofu provides valuable protein.

All the superfoods mentioned above are versatile enough to be incorporated into restaurant dishes and cocktail lists; today wellness-conscious diners actively seek out healthy vegan, gluten-free and low-fat options on menus showcasing fresh seasonal produce.

Now you know you can eat your favourite superfoods in Accor restaurants in Paris and across Europe, it’s time to start planning your next city break!