Super Food:

Classifying foods based on abundance of nutrients and antioxidants.   Use this chart as a guide to ensure you’re not always deriving nutrients from the same old sources.   Try adding super foods to you diet and find out how much better you feel.  I think you will discover how much more delicious they can make recipes as well.

The following categorizes different food groups and classifies them according to nutritional density.   These classifications are best supported by the research done to provide aggregate nutritional density indexes (ANDI scores.)

ANDI scores land on a scale from 1-1000 and are figured based on evaluating micronutrients such as: vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxident capacities, and more.   The food and scores are listed below by grocery store department as developed by Whole Foods and Eat Right America.  A similar reference and a deeper understanding of why to eat like this can also be found in Dr. Joel Furhman’s book Super Immunity.

Green Vegetables

1. Mustard/ Turnip/Collard Green…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. Brussel Sprouts…672
9. Swiss Chard…670
10. Arugula…559

NonGreen Vegetables

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

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

Beans

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. Edamames…58
9. Split Peas…58
10. Chickpeas (Garbanzo)…57

Nuts and Seeds

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. Hazlenuts…32
10. Cashews…27

Whole Grains

1. Oats, old-fashioned…53
2. Barley, whole grain…43
3. Wild Brown Rice…43
4. Brown Rice…41
5. Barley, pearled…32
6. Wheat Berries…25
7. Cornmeal, whole grain…22
8. Quinoa…21
9. Millet…19
10. Bulgar…17

Meat

1. Bison, top sirloin…39
2. Bison, chuck roast…36
3. Pork tenderloin…34
4. Flank Steak…27
5. Chicken breast…27
6. Turkey, light meat…25
7. Turkey, dark meat…24
8. Pork Chops…24
9. Ground beef, 85%-90% lean…20-23
10. Beef, top round

Fish

1. Tuna…46
2. Flounder…41
3. Sole…41
4. Salmon…39
5. Mahi Mahi…39
6. Shrimp…38
7. Swordfish…38
8. Trout…36
9. Snapper…35
10. Haddock…35

Cheese

1. Feta…21
2. Cottage Cheese, low fat…18
3. Mozzarella, part skim…16
4. Ricotta, part skim…16
5. Swiss…15
6. Parmesan…15
7. Mozzarella, whole milk..14
8. Gouda…13
9. Provolone…13
10. Gruyere…13

Refrigerated Dairy Case

1. Tofu…37
2. Nonfat Skim Milk…36
3. Soy Milk…33
4. plain Nonfat Yogurt…30
5. Egg Substitute…30
6. Egg White…29
7. Low fat 1% milk…28
8. Egg…27
9. Hemp Milk…27
10. Tempeh…26