Everyday Food with Nutrients Density Scores

in food •  8 years ago 

Hi all,

I got to mention this is my first STEEMIT post. In this post, I thought of sharing something that everyone would benefit from. The first thing that came into my mind was - FOOD. So, here in this post, I'm sharing the information which is being very helpful to me in changing my eating habits since I found it. This information I have presented in this post is mostly from Dr. Joel Fuhrman's published book alled Super Immunity. Dr. Joel Fuhrman is a New York Times bestselling author of EAT TO LIVE. Here in this book, you all can find tons of information about eating the right food and living a healthy life with minimal sick days and maximum energy. Also, in this book, there's a density score and a pyramid chart created by Dr. Fuhrman which was very helpful to me in kickstarting my food choices. I thought it is worth sharing it with the dearest STEEMIT community, so here it is :)

All foods are considered on a numerical scale of 1 to 100.

Kale  100

Cantaloupe 12

Watercress 100

Beans (all varieties) 11

Collards 100

Plums 11

Brussels sprouts 90

Walnuts 10

Bok choy 85

Iceberg lettuce 10

Spinach 82

Pistachio nuts 9

Arugula 77

Cucumbers 9

Cabbage 59

Green peas 7

Broccoli 52

Almonds 7

Cauliflower 51

Cashews 6

Romaine lettuce 45

Avocados 6

Green and red peppers 41

Apples 5

Onions 37

Peanut butter 5

Asparagus 36

Corn 4

Leeks 36

Bananas 3

Strawberries 35

Oatmeal 3

Mushrooms 35

Salmon 2

Tomatoes 33

White Potato 2

Pomegranate 30

Skim Milk 2

Carrots/carrot juice 30

Whole-wheat bread 2

Blackberries 29

Olive oil 2

Raspberries 27

White bread 1

Blueberries 27

Chicken breast 1

Oranges 27

Eggs 1

Seeds 25

White pasta 1

Red grapes 24

Ground beef  -4

Cherries 21

Low-fat cheddar cheese -6

Tofu 20

Potato chips -9

Lentils 14

Cola -10

To determine the Nutrient Density Scores, Dr. Fuhrman considered an equal calorie serving of each food. The following nutrients were included in the evaluation: calcium, carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene), fiber, folate, glucosinolates, magnesium, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, phytosterols, resistant starch, and flavonoids; He also weighed the ORAC score. ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) is a method of measuring the antioxidant or radical scavenging capacity of food. Nutrient quantities, which are normally in many different measurements (mg, mcg, IU), were converted to a percentage of their recommended daily intake (RDI) so that a common value could be considered for each nutrient. For nutrients that have no RDI, he established goals based on available research and current understanding of the benefits of these factors. Additional points were added if the food item was anti-angiogenic (more on this later) or contained organ sulfides, aromatase inhibitors, or resveratrol. Points were subtracted if the food item contained trans-fat or an excessive amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium, or contained additives as a refined/processed food. The total of the percent RDI or goal for each nutrient, adjusted with added/subtracted points, was then multiplied by a fraction to make the highest number equal 100 so that all foods could be considered on a numerical scale of 1 to 100.

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Great article!

Oh yes, raw fruits and vegetables are the healthiest foods!