By now you’ve heard it a million times.  New lists, it seems, are constantly compiled and are often full of foods we’ve never heard of, can’t pronounce, or can’t find in the grocery store.  (Like this list from Shape Magazine)  And lately they’ve been showing up as dietary supplements in convenient juice or pill form.

Things aren’t always what they seem.  Big companies know that healthy sells, but are you getting the short end of the stick?  Read more about the battle between Minute Maid and POM Wonderful here.

What am I talking about?  SUPER FOODS!!

But, what does that designation actually mean?  When I look at food, I like to ask, “What will eating this ________ provide for me?”  In essence, what is its value?

Value – noun

• to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance.
• to regard or esteem highly, imply intrinsic excellence or desirability.

The more nutrient dense a food, the bigger bang for the buck and the inherently greater nutritional value.  Nutrient-dense foods and beverages provide vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, anti-oxidants or other beneficial substances with relatively few calories.

Super foods are foods that are incredibly nutrient dense.  They typically contain essential nutrients like critical fatty acids, anti-oxidant phytonutrients, and essential amino acids in abundant amounts and in combinations that provide additional health benefits.  Examples of exotic super foods are acai and goji berries, but there are many more super foods readily available in your grocery store, and with names you can pronounce, if you just know where to look.

The Top 30 Super Foods in Your Grocery Store Right NOW!

Each of the following foods is scored using the ANDI system.  ANDI** stands for the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index and scoring is based on the nutrient density per calorie of food.  The nutrient density of any food is calculated based on the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidant capacities within that food per calorie.  Foods are then given a score of 1-1,000 with a score of 1,000 being the most nutrient dense.

SUPER FOODS	Nutrient Score
1. Collard, mustard, & turnip greens	1000
2. Kale	1000
3. Watercress	1000
4. Bok choy	824
5. Spinach	739
6. Brussels sprouts	672
7. Swiss chard	670
8. Arugula	559
9. Radish	554
10. Cabbage	481
11. Bean sprouts	444
12. Red peppers	420
13. Romaine lettuce	389
14. Broccoli	376
15. Carrot juice	344
16. Tomatoes & tomato products	190-300
17. Cauliflower	295
18. Strawberries	212
19. Pomegranate juice	193
20. Blackberries	178
21. Plum	157
22. Raspberries	145
23. Blueberries	130
24. Papaya	118
25. Brazil nuts	116
26. Oranges	109
27. Tofu	86
28. Beans, not canned (all varieties)	55-70
29. Seeds: flaxseed, sunflower, sesame	45
30. Walnuts	29

Compare the value of these foods with the value of those found often in the typical American diet.

UN-SUPER FOODS	Nutrient Score
1. Plain Bagel	18*
2. Cheese Pizza, 2 slices	17*
3. Roast Beef Sandwich, w/cheese	16*
4. Tuna Salad Sub Sandwich	14*
5. Cheeseburger, w/bun	14
6. Chicken Fillet Sandwich	11*
7. Blueberry Muffin	10*
8. Beef Hot Dog	8
9. Chocolate Cake, 1 slice	7*
10.Jelly Doughnut	6

* Artificially inflated nutrient score due to fortification with vitamins and minerals.

**The ANDI food scoring guide was created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

These are foods that have been refined and stripped of their nutrients. While some nutrients are added back in to prevent malnutrition and for marketing purposes, most of the ingredients are highly concentrated pleasure-stimulating “foodstuffs” that leave you fat and sick.

Optimal health is directly related to the foods you eat. The super foods included in the list above are foods that are rich in virtually all of the nutrients your body needs to function, stay healthy and perform well. And when ingested, your body knows exactly how to glean the most nutrition because these are whole food sources.

Just remember that super foods don’t have to come from exotic places or have names you can’t pronounce.  Some of the most nutritious food you can get you hands on can be grown right in your own back yard!  And, when you are in doubt about what might be the most nutrient dense food you can choose…always GO GREEN!!!

Read more about why the freshest food is also the most nutritious here.

Need to incorporate more greens?  Just got your first CSA share and have kale coming out of your ears?  Try this amazing recipe for Kale Salad…an absolute favorite of mine from Whole Foods.  It is super simple, keeps well, and can be  customized with whatever other vegetables or protein your heart desires!