What makes a fruit “super”? The orthopedic doctors at IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health in Honolulu, HI, define them as fruits jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients. Check out seven of their favorite fruits to add to your diet so you may enjoy better nutrition and increased vitality:

• Acai Berries: These tiny Brazilian berries are loaded with antioxidants, even when compared to other antioxidant-rich berries such as strawberries and blueberries.
• Grapefruit: The grapefruit is an excellent super fruit for the heart, as it lowers cholesterol and subsequently helps prevent heart disease. The redder the color, the more antioxidants you’re consuming.
• Cantaloupe: This orange fruit is packed with vitamin A and its derivatives, which increases cell turnover and keeps skin looking young and fresh.
• Cherries: The lovely deep red hue cherries feature is because of anthocyanin, a type of antioxidant that helps lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels in addition to reducing inflammation.

• Cranberries: Cranberries are perhaps best known for their ability to treat urinary tract infections, however the fruit is also believed to slow the growth of some cancer cells, such as those found in ovarian cancer patients.
• Dragon Fruit: This unusual-looking fruit is full of essential fatty acids, which the body needs but cannot produce. One of the acids found in dragon fruit is oleic acid, which raises good cholesterol levels while lowering bad cholesterol levels.
• Blackberries: These antioxidant-laden berries are particularly rich in polyphenols, which are believed to help prevent cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Discuss these and other super fruits with your nutrition specialist at IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health. The premier Honolulu facility offers fantastic wellness coaching options in addition to osteopathic manipulation and sports medicine, and they will be happy to design nutrition guidelines just for you.

For more on wellness coaching, sports medicine, and other services available through IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health, please call (808) 521-8170 or visit their website today.