The top 100 superfoods for kids list

As I stand in the produce section at Whole Foods, eyeing the fruits and vegetables, I weigh three important factors before making my selections: 1. Which produce has the highest nutritional value? 2. Which fruits and vegetables will my family actually eat? 3. Which foods won’t rot away in the refrigerator before we have a chance to eat them? And although I am a well-educated scientist and mother, I freeze. Somewhere between the raspberries and the kale, I feel ignorant and frustrated. You see, my 8.5 year-old daughter is an adventurous, vegetable-liking, fruit-hating omnivore while my newly-turned 6 year-old son is a cautious, fruit-loving, vegetable-hating, fish-eating vegetarian. I, myself, have not eaten meat (except fish) in about 25 years, and the thought of fresh vegetables at their peak in August makes me salivate in my seat. My husband appreciates good food of any kind and considers the occasional steak at a restaurant a worthy treat. So, feeding our family a nutritious, delicious and quickly prepared (I am working full-time, after all) meal that everyone will love can be a challenge. Nonetheless, I proceed with my produce selections based on cost (don’t you love it when organic blackberries are on sale?), known familial likes and dislikes, and a minimal amount of knowledge about nutritional value.

Recently I was in Whole Foods and noticed a new posting on the wall of the produce section (and in the bathroom!) listing a variety of foods and their corresponding “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index” (ANDI) score. Green, leafy vegetables were generally at the top with fruits, nuts and beans also receiving impressive ratings. As my son and I stood in the bathroom together, me holding him up so he could reach the faucets to wash his hands (why don’t they have step stools in public bathrooms?), I had an epiphany. Finally. Finally. A quantitative method available to help me choose what to feed my family!

After some more research, I discovered that the ANDI score system was developed by Joel Fuhrman, MD, with the “eat right america” program. I ordered his book, and found that the system is a “complete food scoring guide and dietary program designed to deliver permanent weight loss and superior health.” Not exactly what I was looking for. You see, the scoring system not only accounts for nutritional value, but also considers calories. In essence, Dr. Fuhrman and his team devised a way to quantify the nutritional value of foods, but then divided by the number of calories such that the score is essentially a measure of how much “bang for your buck” you get from a food, or how much nutrition packed per calorie. However, I am not looking to lose weight. My children are healthy, energetic beings, and if anything, they need MORE calories not FEWER calories. I know, with the concern over childhood obesity in this country, I speak words of horror. But my children would rather talk and joke during dinner than actually eat their meals. This certainly makes for family fun at the dinner table, but also evokes nagging from their parents to remind them to eat!

What I need is a nutritional guide that provides me information about the nutritional value of foods without any added complexity. If anything, I need help for those moments when I am standing at the market deciding between escarole and swiss chard (how to get my kids to actually eat these foods is another matter to discuss later), or when I am trying to decide whether to give them juice or milk with breakfast. Granted, there are other factors to consider such as the balance of protein vs. whole grains vs. fruits and vegetables the kids are getting in their diets, but this I am less worried about because I do make sure that each of these groups are represented in their meals. I also try to ensure their meals are packed with variety, when possible (although variety may not be top priority when eating lunch in the car between piano lessons and soccer practice). No, what I need is a list of “super foods,” foods that are packed with nutrients – vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals – that I can integrate into family meals as often as possible.

So I took Dr. Fuhrman’s ANDI scores, and I made some changes to develop my own “superfoods” list. My analysis essentially removes the caloric component of his calculations, so I am left with a value that represents the nutritional component of the foods only. Then, I adjusted this number by considering an appropriate serving size - a realistic serving size that I think I can probably get my kids to eat. Of course this skews the data because it may be much easier for me to get my kids to eat 1/4 cup of brazil nuts than 1/3 cup of collard greens in a particular sitting, but that is okay. Also because I am less concerned about them getting too many calories (especially from these great foods) or eating natural sugars, some foods such as juices also jump to the top of the list. In addition, I deleted duplicate foods that appeared but used different cooking methods; ”red pepper, cooked” stayed, but “red pepper, raw” was removed. I also omitted meats, besides fish, since we do not eat meat at home, but I did not include fish that have mid- to high-levels of mercury. Then, I normalized the list to provide a nutrient score between 1 and 100. Hence, the list of “top 100 superfoods for kids” was born.

My family and I sat down to discuss the list and we decided to put forth a challenge. All four of us would eat the top 100 superfoods in 100 days at the given serving sizes. Not just taste, but actually eat. Calories are not much of a concern although food variety and balance will continue to be part of our goals. The superfoods do not necessarily have to be eaten in isolation (I am thinking “swiss chard chocolate pudding”), but they must be eaten in their entirety. This will require some creative cooking on my end, but I am up for the challenge. We start tomorrow, December 6, 2010 and will continue until March 15, 2011. I will be keeping a running tally and will even include recipes on the blog, if they are successfully embraced by the kids. So here it is, my list of “top 100 superfoods for kids:”

Ranking	Food	Serving size		Nutrient Score
1	Brazil nuts	0.25	cups	100
2	Carrot juice	4	fl oz	59
3	Collard greens, cooked	0.33	cups	57
4	Pumpkin, canned	0.5	cups	55
5	Sunflower seeds	0.25	cups	51
6	Pomegranate juice	4	fl oz	51
7	Brussel sprouts, cooked	0.33	cups	44
8	Kale, cooked	0.33	cups	42
9	Sprouted grain bread	2	slice	36
10	Hummus	0.33	cups	35
11	Broccoli rabe, cooked	0.33	cups	35
12	Pumpkin seeds	0.25	cups	34
13	Sesame butter	2	tablespoon	34
14	Spinach, cooked	0.33	cups	33
15	Turnip greens, cooked	0.33	cups	33
16	Pistachio nuts, unsalted	0.25	cups	31
17	Dark chocolate candy bar (45-59% cocoa)	1.5	ounces	30
18	Vegetable juice, low sodium	4	fl oz	29
19	Adzuki beans, boiled	0.33	cups	29
20	Chicory greens, uncooked	0.33	cups	28
21	Almonds, unsalted	0.25	cups	28
22	Peanuts, unsalted	0.25	cups	28
23	Lentils, boiled	0.33	cups	28
24	Flax seeds	2	tablespoon	27
25	Pecans	0.25	cups	27
26	Swiss chard, cooked	0.33	cups	27
27	Red kidney beans, boiled	0.33	cups	26
28	Mustard greens, cooked	0.33	cups	25
29	Tomato juice, low sodium	4	fl oz	25
30	Sweet potato, cooked	0.33	cups	24
31	Hazelnuts	0.25	cups	24
32	Sesame seeds	0.125	cups	23
33	Walnuts	0.25	cups	23
34	Great northern beans, boiled	0.33	cups	23
35	Black beans, boiled	0.33	cups	22
36	Broccoli	0.33	cups	22
37	Carrots, cooked	0.33	cups	21
38	Bean sprouts, uncooked	0.25	cups	21
39	Bok choy, cooked	0.33	cups	20
40	Black eyed peas, boiled	0.33	cups	19
41	Cashew nuts	0.25	cups	19
42	Cabbage, cooked	0.33	cups	19
43	Almond butter, unsalted	0.25	tablespoon	19
44	Chick peas, boiled	0.33	cups	18
45	Tomato sauce, no salt	0.25	cups	17
46	Salmon, pink, cooked, dry heat	3	ounces	17
47	Pinto beans, boiled	0.33	cups	17
48	Cashew butter, unsalted	2	tablespoon	17
49	Peanut butter	2	tablespoon	17
50	Edamame	0.33	cups	17
51	Artichoke, cooked	0.33	item	17
52	Orange juice	4	fl oz	17
53	Prunes	0.25	cups	17
54	Kohlrabi	0.33	cups	16
55	Trout, rainbow, wild, cooked, dry heat	3	ounces	16
56	Whole wheat bagel	1	item	16
57	Kiwi	1	items	16
58	Pepper, red, cooked	0.33	cups	16
59	Avocado	0.33	items	16
60	Brown rice, cooked	0.5	cups	16
61	Split peas, boiled	0.33	cups	16
62	Granola	0.33	cups	15
63	Butternut squash, cooked	0.33	cups	15
64	Barley, whole grain, cooked	0.5	cups	15
65	Macadamia nuts	0.25	cups	14
66	Bran flakes	0.5	cups	14
67	Flounder, cooked, dry heat	3	ounces	14
68	Cranberry juice cocktail	4	fl oz	14
69	Plums	0.33	cups	14
70	Whole grain bread	2	slices	14
71	Oats, old fashioned, cooked	0.5	cups	14
72	Turnips, cooked	0.33	item	13
73	Dandelion greens, cooked	0.33	cups	13
74	Wheat berries, cooked	0.5	cups	13
75	Tomato, diced	0.5	cups	13
76	Blackberries	0.33	cups	13
77	Lobster, cooked	3	ounces	13
78	Wild brown rice, cooked	0.5	cups	13
79	Blueberries	0.33	cups	12
80	Plain bagel	1	slices	12
81	Haddock, cooked, dry heat	3	ounces	12
82	Rye bread	2	slices	12
83	Lima beans, boiled	0.33	cups	11
84	Whole wheat bread	2	slices	11
85	Grapefruit	0.33	cups	11
86	Swiss cheese	2	ounces	11
87	Strawberries	0.33	cups	11
88	Tangerine	1	items	11
89	Shrimp, cooked	3	ounces	11
90	Cranberries, dried, sweetened	0.25	cups	11
91	Feta cheese	2	ounces	11
92	Green peas, cooked	0.33	cups	11
93	Figs, dried	0.25	cups	11
94	Sole, cooked, dry heat	3	ounces	11
95	Raspberries	0.33	cups	11
96	Potatoes, flesh and skin, baked	0.5	item	11
97	Gruyere cheese	2	ounces	11
98	Asparagus, cooked	0.33	cups	11
99	Pine nuts	2	tablespoons	11
100	Monkfish, cooked, dry heat	3	ounces	10

Copyright 2010

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