Most Nutritional Foods
Twenty Best Crops Ranked by CSPI Nutrition Score. This info is from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), collated by Robert Arnot, M.D. CSPI scored each vegetable by adding up its percent of the US RDA (recommended daily allowances) for six nutrients plus fiber (Vitamin A, C, folic Acid, iron, copper, and calcium). They used a slightly different but similar scoring scheme for each food category (vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains).
Best Vegetables
1) Sweet Potato
2) Carrot
3) Spinach, raw
4) Collard Greens
5) Red Bell Pepper, raw
6) Kale
7) Dandelion Greens
8 Broccoli
9) Brussel Sprouts
10) Potato (Baked, with skin)
11) Winter squash
12) Swiss Chard
13) Snow Peas
14) Mustard greens
15) Kohlrabi
16) Romaine Lettuce (1 cup)
17) Cauliflower
18) Asparagus
19) Green Bell Peppers
20) Parsley
Best Fruits (These were ranked according to Vitamin A, C, folic acid, potassium, and fiber).
1) Papaya
2) Cantaloupe
3) Strawberries
4) Oranges
5) Tangerines
6) Kiwis
7) Mango
8 Apricots
9) Persimmons
10) Watermelon (2 cups)
11) Raspberries ( 1cup)
12) Grapefruit, red or pink
13) Blackberries
14) Grapefruit, white
15) Honeydew melon
16) Peaches
17) Pineapple
18) Star Fruit
19) Blueberries
20) Cherries, sweet
Best Beans
1) Soybeans
2) Pinto Beans
3) Chickpeas (garbanzos, ceci)
4) Lentils
5) Cranberry beans
6) Black-eyed peas ( cowpeas)
7) Pink beans
8 Navy beans
9) Black beans (turtle beans)
10) Small white beans
11) White beans
12) Baby Lima Beans
13) Kidney beans
14) Adzuki beans
15) Great Northern Beans
16) Mung Beans
17) Lima Beans, large
18) Broad beans (fava beans)
19) Peas (split, green)
20) Tofu, raw, firm
Best Grains
1) Quinoa
2) Whole wheat macaroni or spaghetti
3) Amaranth
4) Buckwheat groats
5) Spinach Spaghetti
6) Bulgar
7) Pearled barley
8 Wild rice
9) Millet
10) Brown rice
11) Triticale
12) Spaghetti
13) Wheat berries
14) Macaroni
15) Kamut
16) Rolled oats
17) Spelt
18) Converted white rice
19) Couscous
20) Instant White rice
