Last week’s blog about local Farmer’s Markets seemed to strike a chord with many of you, so my guess is that there is a strong interest in eating healthier foods as the weather gets warmer.
In keeping with that theme, I decided to pick one fruit and one vegetable as “Best in Show” (great movie by the way!). It’s a tough choice, since every fruit and vegetable offers a variety of benefits, and no one fruit or vegetable has all the benefits. The best choice is to eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies so that you are getting maximum nutritional benefit.
However, if I had to pick, here are my choices:
For the top vegetable, it would have to be kale. This is based on what I have read from two independent sources. One source is Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who is working with Whole Foods to create healthy eating choices, and the author of Eat to Live. Dr. Fuhrman has developed ANDI (Aggregate Density Nutrient Index) scores to assign to each food, which measures the ratio of nutrients to calories. Nutrients include not only the amount of vitamins and minerals, but phytochemicals as well. And at the top of the list, with an ANDI score of 1000 is kale (and collards). At the bottom of the list is soda, with an ANDI score of 1. You can get the full list of ANDI scores by clicking here.
The second source is from the book “Becoming Vegan”, which had this to say about kale: “…rated against 19 other vegetables, kale had the greatest antioxidant activity. It is also rich in lutien, a phytochemical that protects the eye from macular degeneration; one of the best sources of flavonols; and a great source of calcium“.
As for the number 1 fruit, I’ll go with blueberries. With an ANDI score of 130 points, it is the second highest rated fruit (behind strawberries). And when the US Department of Agriculture’s Center for Aging at Tufts University studied more than 40 fruits and vegetables using their own scale – ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), blueberries came out on top, even above all of the vegetables! Blueberries offer multiple benefits such as: neutralizing free radicals that damage DNA, protecting against urinary tract infections; possibly helping to reduce the effects of aging; and improving problems with tired eyes.
Many times I use both of these as ingredients in my morning green smoothie (I always have blueberries, and I alternate between romaine lettuce, spinach, or kale as my green vegetable), and for me it is a great way to start the day.
So while you are out at your local farmer’s market, be sure to keep your eyes out for some kale and blueberries; you could say they are at the top of the food chain!
To your health, happiness, and a Flyers victory!
