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| Watercress |
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention did a recent study on nutrient density of 47 vegetables and fruits to determine which ones were the top sources of 17 vitamins and minerals. Below is a table of the ranking.
It was not possible to include phytochemical data in the scores so total health benefits are not inclusive in the ranking scores. It is well known that different colors of vegetables contain different phytonutrients so a variety of colors is important in the diet.
Leafy greens were in the top half with other veggies in the next grouping. For the fruits that qualified as a “powerhouse” source of nutrition, they were in general at the bottom of the ranking.
Like Mom said, “Eat your vegetables.”
Here is the table of the ranking:
Item Nutrient Density Score
Watercress 100.00
Chinese cabbage 91.99
Chard 89.27
Beet green 87.08
Spinach 86.43
Chicory 73.36
Leaf lettuce 70.73
Parsley 65.59
Romaine lettuce 63.48
Collard green 62.49
Turnip green 62.12
Mustard green 61.39
Endive 60.44
Chive 54.80
Kale 49.07
Dandelion green 46.34
Red pepper 41.26
Arugula 37.65
Broccoli 34.89
Pumpkin 33.82
Brussels sprout 32.23
Scallion 27.35
Kohlrabi 25.92
Cauliflower 25.13
Cabbage 24.51
Carrot 22.60
Tomato 20.37
Lemon 18.72
Iceberg lettuce 18.28
Strawberry 17.59
Radish 16.91
Winter squash 13.89
Orange 12.91
Lime 12.23
Grapefruit(red/pink)11.64
Rutabaga 11.58
Turnip 11.43
Blackberry 11.39
Leek 10.69
Sweet potato 10.51
Grapefruit (white) 10.47
Here is a link to the report: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm
As you are planning your garden for next year, add some of the top powerhouses!
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