Somewhere Between Kale and Cola: How Nutrient-Dense Are the Foods You Eat?

Misinformation abounds about nutrition. Half of those in a 2012 poll said they believed it was easier to do their taxes than it is to figure out how to eat healthfully. Not surprisingly the  survey, commissioned by the International Food Information Council and Foundation, also showed that those most in need of learning about how to eat healthfully were the most likely to be confused. Those who were overweight, or were afflicted with an obesity-related illness like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, reported finding it harder to figure out what to eat. It seems that despite a seeming abundance of nutritional information available to us and a growing interest in food and health-related issues, Americans find it difficult to distill the nutrition information they do receive.

The healthiest way to eat is to concentrate on the nutrient density of the food you choose to eat. If you learn to maximize the amount of nutrients per calorie you get from food you will eat for better health. To help you determine which foods are the most beneficial to include in your diet, I developed the ANDI or Aggregated Nutrient Density Index. My ANDI system ranks popular foods on a scale of 1 to 1000 based on their nutritional content. With the index you can tell at a glance the scores for kale (the most nutrient dense food) and cola (the least), and all the foods in between. Feel good about the food choices you make on a daily basis for you and your family by downloading my free ANDI infographic [need landing page link] and learn which foods provide the most nutrients. Tape it to your refrigerator so it can help you make better choices. 

Rating the Nutrient Density of Food

Why is it important to know the nutrient density of the foods we eat? Most people do not understand that whole plant foods are the best for our health. Advertising might be one reason Americans are misled to believe that food labeled low-fat, low-carb or gluten-free are better for us, or that pasta, grilled chicken and olive oil are the cornerstones of a healthful diet. Think about this: Why is it that although there is an obesity epidemic in this country a 2011 poll by Consumer Reports Health found that more than 90 percent of Americans believe that they eat a healthy diet? Health advocates have pointed to the prevalence of advertising for calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods as a significant contributor to our nation’s obesity epidemic.

Micronutrients fuel proper functioning of the immune system and enable the detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that protect us from chronic diseases. The key to achieving excellent health is to have adequate consumption of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals (micronutrients), without excessive calorie intake. I devised a simple formula to define how your health is related to nutrient density: H=N/C (Health = Nutrients/Calories).

My ANDI system quickly tells you the value of many common foods on the basis of how many nutrients they deliver to your body for each calorie they possess. Unlike food labels, which only list a few nutrients, ANDI scores are based on 34 parameters of nutrition. Of course some foods with a more moderate nutrient density also have lfie saving phytochemicals such as berries, mushrooms, flaxseeds an onions.  A nutritarian diet comprehensively utilizes a full portfolio of anti cancer foods to prolong lifespan to the fullest.

For optimal health, it is important to achieve micronutrient density and diversity, not just a high level of a few isolated micronutrients. Leafy greens rank highest in ANDI, but higher-calorie plant foods like beans, nuts and seeds are also important providing significant health benefits. Eat a variety of plant foods to meet the full range of nutritional requirements.   

In order to enhance your own health, take a minute to evaluate the quality of your diet and learn which foods to add to your diet in order to improve it. Download our ANDI infographic and print it out so you can refer to it when you are making decisions about what to eat. You might be surprised where your favorite foods fall in the rankings!