Nutrient Density

[Guest guest]

Nutrient Density

by Joel Fuhrman M.D.

 

Nutrient Density is a critical concept in devising and recommending

dietary and nutritional advice to patients and to the public. Not

merely vitamins and minerals, but adequate consumption of

phytochemicals are essential for a normal immune system and to

enable our body's detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that

protect us from cancer and other diseases.

 

Nutritional science in the last twenty years has demonstrated that

colorful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective

compounds, mostly unnamed at this point. Only by eating an

assortment of natural foods that are nutrient-rich, can we access

these compounds and protect ourselves from the common diseases that

afflict Americans. Our modern,

low-nutrient eating style leads to an overweight population with

common diseases of nutritional ignorance and medical costs spiraling

out of control.

 

My rankings of foods below can supplement the high nutrient

hierarchy explained in my book, Eat To Live. I encourage people to

read Eat To Live to further understand the science, logic and

application and also to understand the benefits that will be gleaned

from eating higher on the nutrient density line.

 

Because phytochemicals are largely unnamed and unmeasured, these

rankings underestimate the healthful properties of colorful natural

plant foods compared to processed foods and animal products. One

thing we do know is that the foods that contain the highest amount

of known nutrients are the same foods that contain the most unknown

nutrients too.

 

So even though these rankings may not consider the phytochemical

number sufficiently they are still a reasonable measurement of their

content.

 

 

 

A Sample of Dr. Fuhrman's

Nutrient Density Scores

 

Kale 1000 Apples 87 Bananas 35

Collards 876 Peaches 84

Spinach 853 Kidney Beans 81 Almonds 32

Bok Choy 803 Green Peas 80 Chicken Breast 31

Romaine Lettuce 452 Soybeans 77 Whole Wheat Bread 31

Boston Lettuce 412 Sweet Potatoes 77

Broccoli 376 Pineapple 74 Organic Eggs 27

Artichoke 334 Salmon 71 Feta Cheese 26

Cabbage 329 Tofu 71 Whole Milk 25

Green Peppers 295 Lentils 69 White Pasta 21

Carrots 273 Walnuts 63 White Bread 21

Asparagus 269 Sunflower Seeds 62 Ground Beef 21

Cauliflower 261 Mangoes 59 Cucumbers 57

Cherries 188 Oatmeal 53

Tomatoes 187 White Potatoes 51

Blueberries 150 Shrimp 51 French Fries 12

Iceberg Lettuce 133 Brown Rice 46 Potato Chips 12

Flax Seeds 131 Skim Milk 41 Vanilla Ice Cream 8

Orange 124 Grapes 38

Cantaloupe 117 Avocado 37 Cola 0.6

 

Coming Soon to Dr. Fuhrman's Online Members Center! - A more

comprehensive overview of Dr. Fuhrman's Nutrient Density Scoring

System, including an expanded list of foods and their density scores.

 

http://drfuhrman.com/library/article17.aspx

 

Keep in mind that nutrient density scoring is not the only factor

that determines good health. For example, if we only ate foods with

a high nutrient density score our diet would be low in fat. So we

have to

pick some foods with lower nutrient density scores (but preferably

the ones with the healthier fats) to include in our high nutrient

diet.

 

Additionally, if a thin person or highly physically active

individual ate only the highest nutrient foods they would become so

full from all of the fiber and nutrients that would keep them from

meeting their

caloric needs and they would eventually become too thin. This of

course gives you a hint at the secret to permanent weight control.

For further details read, Eat To Live. But, shhh don't tell anybody

about this.

 

Dr. Fuhrman's Nutrient Density Scoring System1

 

To determine the scores above all known vitamins and minerals were

considered and added in. Nutrient Data from Nutritionist Pro

software for each food item was obtained for the amount of that food

that would provide a 1000 calorie serving. We included the following

nutrients in the evaluation: Calcium, Carotenoids: Beta Carotene,

Alpha Carotene,

Lutein & Zeaxanthin, Lycopene, Fiber, Folate, Glucosinolates, Iron,

Magnesium, Niacin, Selenium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Vitamin B2

(Riboflavin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc,

plus ORAC score X 2 (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a method

of measuring the antioxidant or radical scavenging capacity of

foods).

 

Nutrient quantities, which are normally in many different

measurements

 

(mg, mcg, IU) were converted to a percentage of their RDI so that a

common value could be considered for each nutrient. Since there is

currently no RDI for Carotenoids, Glucosinolates, or ORAC score,

goals were established based on available research and current

understanding of the benefits of these factors. (limited references

below). The % RDI or Goal for each nutrient which the USDA publishes

a value for was added together to give a total.

 

All nutrients were weighted equally with a

factor of one except for the foods ORAC score. The ORAC score was

given a factor 2 (as if it were two nutrients) due to the importance

of

antioxidant nutrients so that measurement of unnamed anti-oxidant

phytochemicals were represented in the scoring. The sum of the

food's

total nutrient value was then multiplied by a fraction to make the

highest number equal 1000 so that all foods could be considered on a

numerical scale of 1 to 1000.

 

1 Dr. Fuhrman's nutrient density food rankings, scoring system, and

point determinations of foods is patent pending.

 

References:

 

Nutritionist Pro [Nutrition Analysis Software] Versions 2.5, 3.1.

Stafford TX . Axxya Systems. 2005,2006.

 

Higdon, Jane. Isothiocyanates. The Linus Pauling Institute.

Micronutrient Research Center. 9/20/2005.

http://oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/isothio.

 

Wu, Xianli; Beecher, Gary; Holden, Joanne; Haytowitz, David;

Gebhardt,

Susan; Prior Ronald. 2004; Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Antioxidant

Capacities of Common Foods in the United States. Journal of

Agricultural

and Food Chemistry. 52. 4026-4037.

 

Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and

Caroteinoids, 2000. Food and Nutrition Board. Institute of Medicine.

National Academy Press. Washington D.C. pp. 343-344.

 

Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat,

Fatty

Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. 2002. Food and

Nutrition

Board. Institute of Medicine. National Academy Press. Washington

D.C. p.

423.

 

Mc Bride, Judy. 1999. Can Foods Forestall Aging? Agricultural

Research.

47(2): 15-17.

 

Wu, Xianli; Beecher, Gary; Holden, Joanne; Haytowitz, David;

Gebhardt,

Susan; Prior, Ronald. 2004. Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Antioxidant

Capacities of Common Foods in the United States.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 52. 4026-4037.

 

Prior, Ronald. Hoang, Ha. Gu, Liwei. Bacchiocca, Mara. Howard, Luke.

Hanpsch-Woodill, Maureen. Huang, Dejuan.Ou, Boxin, Jacob, Robert.

2003.

 

Assays for Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Antioxidant Capacity of Plasma

and Other Biological and Food Samples.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 51. 3273-3279.

 

Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium and

Caroteinoids. 2000. Food and Nutrition Board. Institiute of

Medicine.

National Academy Press. Washington D.C. pp. 343-344. Prior, RL.

1999.

Can Foods Forestall Aging?

Agricultural Research. 47(2): 15-17.