A
belated Happy New Year to all! We hope you’ll
be able to join us this Thursday, January 8th, at our Pathfinder
Produce market at the Village Commons, from 2 to 5 p.m. We look forward to serving all our wonderful
patrons in 2015!
****
During
the transition from old year to new, it’s typical that there are many top ten
stories featured on the web and other news media. In looking for the top ten vegetable and
fruit stories for 2014, I came across an article from June in which the top 41 powerhouse
vegetables and fruits were determined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Powerhouse
vegetables and fruits are those are “most strongly associated with reduced
chronic disease risk.…” According to the
CDC study, “Defining Powerhouse Fruits
and Vegetables: A Nutrient Density Approach,” researchers ranked 41 powerhouse
foods based on their nutritional density, focusing on 17 key nutrients and vitamins:
potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate,
zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K.
Each food had to provide at least 10% of the daily value of a particular
nutrient to be considered a powerhouse food, and lower calorie foods received
higher rankings.
In an article on the LiveScience website, study author Jennifer Di Noia, an associate
professor of sociology at William Paterson University, said, "This study
is the first of its kind to define and rank powerhouse fruits and vegetables….
The score, given as a percentage, quantifies the amount of beneficial nutrients
contained in the fruit or vegetable relative to the energy (measured as
calories) the food provides.”
The top ten veggies and their nutritional
density scores were (drumroll please):
Watercress (100); Chinese cabbage (91.99); Chard (89.27); Beet greens
(87.08); Spinach (86.43); Chicory (73.73); Parsley (65.59); Romaine (63.48) and
Collard greens (62.49). I’m struck with
how most of these top scorers fall into the dark green leafy type of
vegetables: Kale, one of my new
favorites, finished 12th at 49.07. (I thought chicory and parsley were odd
additions to the list – I have no evidence, but I don’t believe they are widely
consumed as vegetables by the general public).
More-popular veggies making the powerhouse
rankings included broccoli (16th, 34.89), Brussels sprouts (18th, 32.23);
and cauliflower (19th, 25.13). Tomatoes
were the highest ranking fruit on the list, ranking 22nd with an overall score
of 20.37. Surprisingly, blueberries did
not make the cut, as they didn’t meet the basic powerhouse criteria.
Researcher Di Noia noted, “The rankings did not
include data on phytochemicals, such as antioxidants, because there are no
recommended intakes for these plant-based chemicals, and uniform data on the
amount of these phytochemicals in foods are also lacking.” (Foods like garlic and blueberries are rich
in these phytochemicals, which seem to be a new frontier in mainstream nutritional
studies).
The upshot of the rankings is to encourage
consumers to add more powerhouse foods to their diets as a way to improve
health and prevent chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. Consumers may also wish to change how
frequently they serve staples like apples, corn, and potatoes, which are
considered non-powerhouse foods according to the study standards.
Until next time, eat and be well,
Lori
