Let’s face it — as a nation, we’re getting bigger.
Around 64% of adults in the UK are now overweight or obese, and childhood obesity is rising at a worrying rate.

A recent report by Nesta and Frontier Economics estimates that obesity costs the UK economy £126 billion every year, including £12.6 billion in NHS treatment costs alone.

Beyond the numbers, obesity fuels a wave of chronic diseases — from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease to poor gut health and even cancer.

While many factors play a role, the biggest culprit remains our food choices. Over 54% of calories in the average UK adult’s diet now come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) — and that’s where the problem begins.

Superfoods. This term has taken the health and nutrition industry by storm in recent years, and promises extraordinary benefits from some perfectly ordinary sources.

It isn’t a scientific term but rather a bit of a marketing spin. That’s not to say these foods are a gimmick, far from it in fact, but their immense popularity have actually made some people dubious about their health benefits because of their highly-publicised potential.

But not all foods are created equal. Where did the term ‘superfood’ come from, what qualifies as one, and what exactly can you expect from working some of these into your diet?

There are many examples of superfoods that include fruits like broccoli, berries (blueberries, acai berries, gogi berries), spices (ginger, turmeric) and much more.

Let’s dig into the origins of ‘superfoods’, some examples of ones we like the most and how you can go about getting these into your diet in the simplest way possible.