Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Nutrient Dense Foods

First I will wish a happy 4th to all those here in the states with me! We are heading up north for a little hiking, swimming and family time - no big BBQs and no drinking for us!

But to my topic of the day-

If you've been reading me for a while, you know I am a proponent of eating real food, clean food - basically, food that heals and protects you from the inside out. (Hint: this does not include chips ahoy or doritos or lean cuisine)

Filling your body with nutrient rich foods, with a lot of different kinds of nutrients, and in the purest form possible will aid in weight loss, gaining energy, and strengthening the immune system. It is SO much harder to lose weight when you are putting poison in your body - poison your body doesn't recognize and fights against.

Anyway, I wanted to re-post this article from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/ about the top ten ANDI (aggregate nutrient density index) foods. The higher the score (from 1 to 1000), the more nutrient dense the food is for you.

So here is there chart - look for, eat, learn to love those with the highest scores:

GREEN VEGETABLES

Vegetable
ANDI Score
1. Mustard/Turnip/Collard Greens
1000
2. Kale
1000
3. Watercress
1000
4. Bok Choy/Baby Bok Choy
824
5. Spinach
739
6. Broccoli Rabe
715
7. Chinese/Napa Cabbage
704
8. Brussels Sprouts
672
9. Swiss Chard
670
10. Arugula
559

NONGREEN VEGETABLES

Vegetable
ANDI Score
1. Radish
554
2. Bean Sprouts
444
3. Red Pepper
366
4. Radicchio
359
5. Turnip
337
6. Carrot
336
7. Cauliflower
295
8. Artichoke
244
9. Tomato
190
10. Butternut Squash
156

 

FRUIT

Fruit
ANDI Score
1. Strawberries
212
2. Blackberries
178
3. Plum
157
4. Raspberries
145
5. Blueberries
130
6. Papaya
118
7. Orange
109
8. Cantaloupe
100
9. Kiwi
97
10. Watermelon
91
11. Peach
73
12. Apple
72
13. Cherries
68
14. Pineapple
64
15. Apricot
60

Beans

Vegetable
ANDI Score
1. Lentils
104
2. Red Kidney Beans
100
3. Great Northern Beans
94
4. Adzuki Beans
84
5. Black Beans
83
6. Black-Eyed Peas
82
7. Pinto Beans
61
8. Edamame
58
9. Split Peas
58
10. Chickpeas (Garbanzos)
57

 

Nuts & Seeds

Nuts & Seeds
ANDI Score
1. Sunflower Seeds
78
2. Sesame Seeds
65
3. Flax Seeds
65
4. Pumpkin Seeds
52
5. Pistachios
48
6. Pecans
41
7. Almonds
38
8. Walnuts
34
9. Hazelnuts
32
10. Cashews
27

Notice that beans, nuts, and seeds aren't actually that nutrient dense - and they are usually pretty high in calories. So watch out there, and fuel your body with veggies!!

Eat some watermelon and grilled asparagus this BBQ holiday!

Namaste!

(Edited to add: I'm 123 even today, before bathroom times AND I'm at the start of my cycle-- big win!)

2 comments:

  1. Interesting lists! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks, Jeannette! Happy 4th to you!

    ReplyDelete