Nutrient Density: Fruits & Veggies

Not surprising - cabbage, chard, beet greens, chicory, parsley, collards, Romaine, endive - all are highly nutritious veggies.  I always wonder - would the findings vary from field to field and growing methods?

One of the misnomers of nutrition labels is it represents the individual products - rather they are standards of a unit measurement of raw materials that go into the product.  There is no regard to where and how it's grown and harvested.  A lab test of the particular item may result in a different nutrition panel.

One thing that is known for sure - a diet rich in dark leafy greens and cruciferous veggies is a healthy one!  To learn more about this list of nutrient dense foods - go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm

Item	Density
Watercress	100.00
Chinese cabbage	91.99
Chard	89.27
Beet green	87.08
Spinach	86.43
Chicory	73.36
Leaf lettuce	70.73
Parsley	65.59
Romaine lettuce	63.48
Collard green	62.49
Turnip green	62.12
Mustard green	61.39
Endive	60.44
Chive	54.80
Kale	49.07
Dandelion green	46.34
Red pepper	41.26
Arugula	37.65
Broccoli	34.89
Pumpkin	33.82
Brussels sprout	32.23

^a Calculated as the mean of percent daily values (DVs) (based on a 2,000 kcal/d diet) for 17 nutrients (potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, zinc, and vitamins A, B₆, B₁₂, C, D, E, and K) as provided by 100 g of food, expressed per 100 kcal of food. Scores above 100 were capped at 100 (indicating that the food provides, on average, 100% DV of the qualifying nutrients per 100 kcal).

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