Researchers Say This Is the #1 Superfood You’re Not Eating

Just like protein and healthy fats, superfoods are part of a well-balanced diet. In fact, superfoods are an easy way to naturally boost your immunity and reduce chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure and some cancers.

However, superfoods aren’t a classified food group per se, nor are they classified by nutrition status like how proteins, dairy, and carbohydrates are. This means foods are frequently being added to the unofficial superfoods list, and the latest addition is a fruit you very well may have in your fridge right now.

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What qualifies as a “superfood?”

Superfoods refer to a category of “super-charged, super-healthy foods” that are all-natural and “nutrient-dense while generally being low in calories,” according to Cleveland Clinic.

“Superfoods are those that offer exceptional health benefits, beyond what you’d expect based on just their nutritional profile,” registered dietician Beth Czerwony, RD, explained in a blog shared by the medical clinic. They help “promote health by increasing your immune function and decreasing your chance of disease prevention or progression,” she added.

These types of foods are packed with antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, as well as fiber, flavonoids, and healthy fats. Common superfoods include:

• Avocados
• Beets
• Berries (specifically, acai berries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, and goji berries)
• Tart cherries
• Chia seeds
• Dark leafy greens (arugula, bok choy, kale, microgreens, spinach, Swiss chard, and broccoli raab)
• Green tea
• Lentils
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Yogurt

And now, researchers have determined another food to add to the list: Grapes.

RELATED: Tomatoes Are the Healthiest Fruit in the World, CDC Says—Here’s Why.

Whole grapes should be classified as superfoods, according to a new research paper.

“Fresh grapes have earned what should be a prominent position in the superfood family,” according to resveratrol researcher John M. Pezzuto, PhD, who also serves as the dean of pharmacy and health sciences at Western New England University. Pezzuto’s compelling argument regarding the superfood characteristics of grapes was recently published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

In the research paper, he explained how grapes have a “unique matrix” of over 1,600 compounds that propel various biological effects, including the polyphenol resveratrol, which Pezzuto has long studied for its myriad health benefits.

“Grapes are a natural source of over 1,600 compounds, including antioxidants and other polyphenols such as flavonoids, anthocyanidins, catechins, phenolic acids, resveratrol, and more. Polyphenols are credited with the health benefits of grapes, via antioxidant activity and influencing cellular processes. It is the whole grape and the unique matrix of these compounds within it that creates the biological effects, not a single component,” a news release outlines.

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Grapes have also been linked to heart health, muscle function, and better sleep quality.

As Best Life previously reported, “Various studies have been published touting the amazing health benefits of grapes, including those for heart health, vision, gut health and immunity, and sleep.”

A meta-analysis published in 2021 also found that grapes can boost cognitive performance and mood. Results showed improvements in attention speed, neurocognitive functions, immediate spatial memory, motor skills, and executive function. There were also indications of reduced semantic interference in memory tasks.

Grapes are high in resveratrol, a natural compound that has “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties,” as well as the “ability to penetrate the skin barrier and antiaging activity,” per a previous study. Resveratrol has also been associated with collagen production.

Earlier this year, Best Life reported on a new study that indicated grapes may help prevent age-related muscle deterioration, especially in postmenopausal women.

Speaking with USA Today, Audra Wilson, MS, a bariatric dietitian with Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, noted that “grapes can be a filling food.” Although you can certainly snack on them à la carte, grapes are best when paired with other nutrient-dense foods.

“Pairing grapes with a lean protein like low-fat cheese or yogurt is a great snack because of the combination of filling fiber and satisfying protein,” she said.