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!)