Just when we thought we had covered all the nutrition rating systems out there, here’s a new system being implemented at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. ANDI, short for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index, is the brainchild of author, MD, and founder of Eat Right America, Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

The ANDI system is a part of a bigger initiative by Whole Foods, entitled Health Starts Here, which encompasses not just making healthy food available, but also providing education on what to do what with that food (culinary lessons, 28 day programs to jump start healthy eating habits…).

The healthy eating principles WFM is promoting are:

• plant based diet
• whole foods (less processed flours, for example)
• low fat – or the right fats (unsaturated, more from plants and less from animals)
• nutrient dense (that’s where ANDI comes in)

The ANDI score, based on a Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutrient Density Scoring System analyzes many nutrients in a food product

Calcium, Carotenoids: Beta Carotene, Alpha Carotene, Lutein & Zeaxanthin, Lycopene, Fiber, Folate, Glucosinolates, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Selenium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, plus ORAC score X 2 (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a method of measuring the antioxidant or radical scavenging capacity of foods).

The data for whole foods such as produce, grains, and legumes is relatively easy to analyze based on USDA databases. It is much more complicated to get accurate info for packaged or processed foods, especially because the ingredients in a processed food interact with each other and change the nutrition profile of a product.

Here is a table with some sample scores. The highest score is 1000, the lowest is close to zero.

This is a very interesting table, especially if one compares it to NuVal ranking which goes from 1-100. Take a look at these 4 healthy products and their scores:

• Kale – 1000
• Orange – 109
• Whole wheat bread – 25
• Olive oil – 9

A naive shopper may be led to believe that kale is the only product worth consuming. But all 4 of the aforementioned are healthy and needed by our bodies. Dr. Fuhrman addresses this:

Keep in mind that nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines good health. For example, if we only ate foods with a high nutrient density score our diet would be too low in fat. So we have to pick some foods with lower nutrient density scores (but preferably the ones with the healthier fats) to include in our high nutrient diet.

So wouldn’t it be more practical to create a scoring system that doesn’t require people to analyze a score , the product type, the required nutrients and then decide? The entire point is to simplify life for consumers, not complicate it!

Whole Foods is perceived as a healthier, albeit expensive, grocery retailer. But recently John Mackey, WFM CEO and founder, openly admitted that his chain sells lots of junk food. The Health Starts Here program may be a signal that Mackey is retuning to the roots of what WFM stood for in the seventies when just starting out.

The ANDI scores are an interesting first step in trying to help consumers better choose healthier foods, and it will be very interesting to see consumer response. We expect Whole Foods will continue to introduce and test additional tools to help their customers.

What to do at the supermarket:

Don’t let the Whole Foods health halo confuse you, as organic junk food is still junk food. Stick to the less processed products, of which Whole Foods has copious amounts, including in bulk (cheaper).

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The FDA has approved the use of baobab fruit in foods and drinks, a year after a similar approval was granted in the European Union. The fruit, pictured above, is jockeying to become 2010’s superfood.

Will it reach the rockstar status of the acai berry?

What you need to know:

The baobab tree species is found in Africa, the island of Madagascar, and Western Australia. Its fruit has provided sustenance to native people for ages. The baobab fruit, known also as monkey bread or sour gourd, can be the size of a skinny watermelon, and has a distinctive tart flavor.

Although it can be consumed raw, the goal is to process baobab into a fine powder and import it to the US for use in shakes, energy bars, and other processed food products. The FDA GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status has actually been granted to the powder, not the whole fruit. It is called baobab dried fruit pulp.

The raw fruit is a nutrient powerhouse, setting the US consumer for a marketing campaign not seen since we first heard of acai berries a few years ago. It is rich in vitamin C and in calcium, iron, and magnesium, as well as many antioxidants.

What to do at the supermarket:

It will be a while before the first products hit the shelves, but keep in mind that sprinkling a bit of baobab powder into a candy bar will not magically change its properties. It’s still going to be a candy bar.

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In this blog, we often focus on the negative aspects of  processed foods. We take pleasure in warning you of seemingly innocent products that contain exorbitant amounts of salt, sugar and fat. However, we always try to wrap up a post with recommended alternatives for healthier eating.

Today we’ll start positive from the get go. Well, almost.

Let’s take a look at what we should be eating by learning about the nutrients we don’t get enough of.  Based on the USDA’s “What We Eat in America” report, there are quite a few. Here are the “subconsumed seven”:
1. calcium
2. potassium
3. fiber
4. magnesium
5. vitamin A
6. vitamin C
7. vitamin E

Below the fold we’ll provide explanations and suggestions for each…
Read more…

There’s an old Indian proverb - God laughs when a thief steals from a thief.

PepsiCo is suing the Coca-Cola Company over claims that its new sports drink Powerade Ion4, is more complete than Pespi’s  Gatorade.

Seems like Coke just lifted a page from Pepsi’s marketing playbook. And Pepsi is mad.

While nobody here is a thief, both corporations are making gazillions selling us liquid candy, and sports drinks are no exception. This lawsuit is part of a marketing battle, no less, no more.

What you need to know:

Sports drink are a huge business with over $7.5 Billion in sales in 2008, just in the US.

Gatorade is the undisputed champ with over 75% market share, with Powerade at number two with over 20% of the market.

From a nutritional standpoint, both companies’ sports drinks are mostly water, sweeteners , salt, questionable food colorings, and a few more vitamins and minerals in tiny amounts. The sweetener of choice is, of course, high fructose corn syrup (equivalent to 4 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 oz bottle).

The fact that Powerade contains magnesium and Gatorade doesn’t is more trivial than where Paris Hilton partied last week.

Nutrition Info:

“But what about all those electrolytes I lose while sweating”, you may ask.

Powerade boasts 2 electrolytes that Gatorade does not have – 2.5 mg of calcium, and 1.2 mg of magnesium. Sorry to disappoint you folks, the amount of calcium your body needs each day is 1000 mg. Do you really think Powerade is going to help with less than 1% of that? Same for 1.2 mg of magnesium comapred to the 400 mg daily requirement.

Gatorade is no better. Nobody in the Western World needs 110 mg of extra sodium, especially not in a soft drink. We are already consuming far more than the daily recommended value of 2300mg. And the 30 grams of potassium provided is less than 1% of the 3500 mg our bodies need.

Unless you are a super athlete (marathons, professional sports, etc…) all you need in order to replenish after a 30 minute workout is good ol’ tap water and maybe a banana, some nuts, or a sandwhich.

Oh, and by the way, all those cool sounding flavors are NOT the result of any real fruit in the drink.

What to do at the supermarket:

Leave the sports drink to the NFL and NBA superstars

Do yourself and your family a favor. Save $500 a year by quitting carbonated drinks, including the so called sports drinks. Spend the money on real sports products and services – good running shoes or a gym membership.

Simply stated: Just skip the beverage aisle at the supermarket.

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It’s a shame that pistachios are being recalled en-mass due to a new salmonella outbreak. These are very healthy nuts!

As we wait for the FDA recall list to fatten up, let’s learn about this delicious nut.
1. The pistachio nut comes from the pistachio tree, native to western Asia – Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, and western Afghanistan.

2. Pistachios reached Europe from Iran at least as early as the 6th century.

3. In the US, pistachios are cultivated mostly in California and New Mexico.

4. Today’s top manufacturers of pistachio are Iran, US, Turkey, Syria, and China.

5. The pistachio nut is actually the seed of the tree fruit. This is what experts call a culinary nut, rather than a botanical nut.

6. The word pistachio originated from a mix of Persian and Latin.

7. If you thought a machine splits the shells open, you’re wrong. They split when the fruit ripens.

8. Each pistachio tree averages 120 lbs. of nuts every two years. That’s around 50,000 nuts.

9. Pistachios are rich in mono-unsaturated fats (the good kind). Research on the health benefits of pistachios has shown that they may help reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower the risk of heart disease.

10. Pistachios are also rich in Thiamin (vitamin B1) and vitamin B6.

11. A 1 oz. serving of pistachios of 40-50 nuts contains over 10% of the FDA’s daily values for fiber, magnesium, copper, and phosphorous. It will set you back 150 calories.

12. Like all food from plants, pistachios are cholesterol free.

13. In these dire times, try walnuts and cashews as alternatives. So far, they are safe….

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Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave since New Year’s, you’ve surely heard of the recent salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter. In this post:

1. A quick recap of the facts.
2. Seven healthy alternatives, including tahini, almond butter and more. Read more…

From the Coca-Cola Company

The FDA issued a warning letter to the Coca-Cola Company regarding the labeling of Diet Coke Plus:

the product makes a nutrient content claim but does not meet the criteria to make the claim.

The product’s labeling describes the drink as “Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals.” On its website, Diet Coke Plus claims to have 10% of recommended daily intake of magnesium and zinc, and 15% of niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. The FDA has strict regulations as to what claims can be made and when:

Your product Diet Coke Plus is a carbonated beverage. The policy on fortification in 21 CFR 104.20(a) states that the FDA does not consider it appropriate to fortify snack foods such as carbonated beverages. Additionally, the label of your product does not state the identity of a reference food and the percentage (or fraction) of the amount of the nutrient in the reference food by which the nutrient in the labeled food differs, as is required for relative claims such as “plus” under 101.13(j)(2). Therefore, the “plus” claim on the label of this product does not meet the requirements of 21 CFR 101.54(e)(1).

Read the full letter…

What you need to know:

The nutrient enriched drinks market is one of the fastest growing segments in the beverage industry. Think of calcium fortified orange juice, or vitamin waters and you’ll get the idea. Coca-Cola has taken this trend one step further by enriching a carbonated soft drink. Who knows, maybe Twinkies will also become a health food soon.

The FDA has created guidelines regarding health claims and nutrient claims that are fairly straightforward (for a government agency that is…). But there are always loopholes that smart marketers can exploit. For more information on health claims, check this post.

Regardless of regulation, it’s clear that consumers are responding to health claims, even if they seem a bit out of place on snacks and soft drinks. And that is where the FDA steps in to protect the consumer.

What’s interesting though, is that it took the FDA more than a year to send off the letter. Diet Coke Plus has been out on the market since early 2007! What was the FDA waiting for?

What to do at the supermarket:

If you want a fun tasting carbonated beverage with a low calorie count, a diet Coke may hit the spot. However, if you are looking for vitamins and minerals, do yourself a favor and leave the soft drink aisle. Get the good stuff either in a fruit juice, or better yet at the produce section.

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flickr photo: Lisa Brewster

Those who remember Popeye, one of the childhood heroes of the middle of the last century, must certainly remember his source of superpowers. Not a radioactive spider, nor birth on planet Krypton. Spinach leaves, the canned greens that the sailor chugged down in moments of distress, are the superfood that made Popeye super strong.

What you need to know:

Spinach is a nutrition empire in every leaf. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, protein, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin E.

Although the iron and calcium in spinach are not fully absorbed in the body due to binding with oxalate that is also found in the elaves, all the other goodies should be enough to convince you to add it to your diet. Spinach is most nutritious when eaten raw, for instance in a salad. However, spinach will not lose too much of its nutrition in a brief dip in boiling water, or a short steam bath. Cooking spinach reduces the amount of oxalate and thus increase the availability of iron and calcium to the body. Spinach’s dark green leaves contain antioxidants that help ward off cancer.

What to do at the supermarket:

Most supermarkets carry fresh spinach year round, packed and pre-washed. Examine the leaves and make sure they are glossy green, and not limp.There should be no black  leaves in the bunch.

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flickr photo: creativedc

Halloween is just around the corner, and this is a great opportunity to provide our readers with a pumpkin update. This week we’ll talk about the pumpkin flesh, next week we’ll extoll the virtues of pumpkin seeds.

What you need to know:

The rich orange flesh stores a high amount of carotenoids (a type of antioxidant) which are associated with reducing the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. The alpha and beta carotenes in just a cupful of this super-food supply the body with more than a day’s recommended amount of vitamin A. Pumpkins are rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as potassium and magnesium.

What to look for at the supermarket:

the pumpkin is a winter squash, usually available from late August until March. The height of the season begins now and lasts for 3 months. Since most pumpkins are rather huge, they’re cut up and sold in 2-3 lbs. chunks. Look for deeply orange flesh, seeds intact, and clean exterior skin. Not in season, one can usually find canned pumpkins. Although not as tasty, they work well in most recipes.

flickr photo: pfala

Although the height of blueberry season in the US is June July, you can still get fresh blueberries from Canada in September. But if you can’t get them fresh, fear not, because no fruit freezes as good as a blueberry.

What you need to know:

Blueberries contain heaps of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and folic acid. Studies in rats have shown that blueberries reduce aging effect of memory loss, may reduce bad cholesterol buildup (LDL), and may contribute to a slew of other health benefits. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, and freezing them only slightly lowers their nutritional value.

What to look for at the supermarket:
If buying fresh, make sure the berries are firm. Check for mold or squashed berries. Frozen should contain just one ingredient.