Helping You Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods

ANDI Guide and Photo Credit: Compliments of Whole Foods Markets

It can be so confusing these days to make the right food choices!  If you want to be sure to get more nutritional bang for your buck, the ANDI rankings can help point you in the right direction.

ANDI stands for “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index,” a scoring system that rates foods on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. ANDI was devised by Joel Fuhrman, M.D., author of the book Eat to Live.

This index does have some flaws. For example, blueberries have a relatively low ranking of 130, a fruit that you know to be packed with nutritional antioxidant power. You might conclude that these berries aren’t worth eating, which would be a big mistake. Also, olive oil, the healthiest fat, has a ranking of only 9. True, it is high in calories, but we all need good fat in our diets, and olive oil is one of the healthiest choice.

This nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines health benefits so if you only ate foods with a high nutrient density score, your diet would be too low in fat and not well-rounded enough.