GP Dr Dawn Harper previously told HuffPost UK that she’s sceptical of “superfoods” – “there is no one single silver bullet that will enhance your chances of living a long and healthy life,” she said.
You might think that Dr Jennifer Di Noia, an Associate Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University, whose 2014 paper sought to find the best fruits and veg to reduce our disease risk, was more fond of terms like these.
But she had her own concerns. “Efforts to define… powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV), foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk… are lacking,” she wrote at the time.
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So, the researcher set out research-backed terms.
What counts as “powerhouse fruits and vegetables” or PFVs?
In her study, “powerhouse” fruits and vegetables had to offer at least 10% more of 17 nutrients per 100 calories than other foods.
These nutrients the study looked at were:
- potassium,
- fibre,
- protein,
- calcium,
- iron,
- thiamin,
- riboflavin,
- niacin,
- folate,
- zinc,
- vitamin A,
- vitamin B,
- vitamin B,
- vitamin C,
- vitamin D,
- vitamin E, and
- vitamin K.
These nutrients had been deemed of public health importance by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and Institute of Medicine, the paper read.
The more of these a plant packed per calorie, the higher the PFV’s nutrient density score was.
However, the paper stressed that these aren’t the only potentially health-boosting components of food; therefore, these metrics could miss some produce that’s great for us.
41 fruits and vegetables, ranked by disease-fighting potential
Of the 47 foods the study author looked at, 41 met her criteria for “PFV”. (The six that missed the mark were raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onion, and blueberries).
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In order, their nutrient density scores were:
- Watercress – 100.00
- Napa cabbage – 91.99
- Chard – 89.27
- Beetroot greens – 87.08
- Spinach – 86.43
- Chicory – 73.36
- Leaf lettuce – 70.73
- Parsley – 65.59
- Romaine lettuce – 63.48
- Collard greens – 62.49
- Turnip greens – 62.12
- Mustard leaves – 61.39
- Endive – 60.44
- Chive – 54.80
- Kale – 49.07
- Dandelion leaves – 46.34
- Red pepper – 41.26
- Rocket – 37.65
- Broccoli – 34.89
- Pumpkin – 33.82
- Brussels sprouts – 32.23
- Spring onion – 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 (all varieties) – 13.89
- Orange – 12.91
- Lime – 12.23
- Grapefruit (pink and red) – 11.64
- Swede – 11.58
- Turnip – 11.43
- Blackberries – 11.39
- Leeks – 10.69
- Sweet potato – 10.51
- Grapefruit (white) – 10.47.
With that said, the best approach for a healthy diet is eating a balance of healthy foods. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables of all different kinds is liked to better heart health, the British Heart Foundation has said.
