Nutrition Experts
When it comes to measuring nutrient density, food scoring systems presumably help consumers figure out what’s good to eat and what’s not to eat. The trouble is, a lot of them reflect the biases of the people who came up with the system.
In addition to leaving out a number of vitamins and minerals, these lists, give short shrift to protein in general, but especially animal protein.
The Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) system gives food a score of 1 to a 1,000 based on certain nutritional parameters. Kale, mustard greens, collard greens and watercress all get a 1,000, but meats, seafood and dairy products all rank under 50 and aren’t considered to be health-supporting.
Different systems judge the value of a food by what it doesn’t contain, like saturated fats, cholesterol or sodium, but this type of system can be problematic.The evidence strongly suggests that cholesterol and saturated fat are perhaps villains, but the creators of these lists haven’t read the nutritional crime blotter to find out that these “bad” nutrients have been exonerated.
Consider that some fat-free yogurts have one-sixth the protein of cheese, but calculated per 100 grams, the yogurt comes out way on top because the fat in the cheese conflicts the math in the yogurt’s favour.
Other systems give weight to fibre, but fibre is not an essential nutrient. One such system gives fibre equal to 16 other nutrients that include protein, calcium, iron, potassium, niacin, folate, etc. It’s the “Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables” (PFV) classification scheme.
Unfortunately, the list only considered fruits and vegetables. Watercress came out as the most nutrient dense food. Only 7 of the 41 items on the list were fruits, with all of them ranking in the bottom half of the list. Missing off the list entirely, were raspberries, blueberries and cranberries. Three fruits that aren’t used to being dissed in such a manner.
Here’s a sampling of some of the superstars on their list:
| Watercress | Collard Green |
| Chinese Cabbage | Turnip Green |
| Chard | Mustard Green |
| Beet Greens | Endive |
| Spinach | Chive |
| Chicory | Kale |
| Leaf Lettuce | Dandelion Green |
| Parsley | Red Pepper |
| Romaine Lettuce |
While the list is limited because it only addresses fruits and vegetables, sampling the weirder and often more distasteful members of the top 20 vegetables on the list, is good nutrition.
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