If you shop at Whole Foods, you may have noticed that they have begun labeling their food with an ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) score. While I’m not ready to jump on this bandwagon, it is a good indicator of ingredients I feel should be included as part of my weekly grocery shopping, especially since the most nutrient dense items are not high in calories.
One of the reasons why I’m not sold on this measure is because there is no firm regulation over it. It could also be misinterpreted pretty easily – if you were to base all of your food consumption based on this score, you would be missing out on essential ingredients such as good fats (which always score quite low on this scale). That being said, as a rule of thumb, you can always reference this list to ensure the ingredients are incorporated as part of a well balanced meal.
- Collard Greens 1000
- Kale 1000
- Watercress 1000
- Bok Choy 824
- Spinach 739
- Broccoli Rabe 715
- Chinese/Napa Cabbage 704
- Brussel Sprouts 672
- Swiss Chard 670
- Arugula 559
Fruits don’t appear in the top 10, but many of my favourites such as strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe and oranges did receive a score of over 100. I’ve added a category filter to my blog for whenever I post a recipe using one of these top 10 ingredients…although, I’m not sure I’m allowed to bring brussel sprouts into the house anymore (SOMEone doesn’t like them at all).
My Vegetarian Kitchen 