ANDI Scores and What They Mean For You
by Allison Montanaro, Healthy Eating Specialist
It’s easy to let your eyes wander when you stroll through our gorgeous produce section. Rows of greens, oranges, reds, yellows and purples, all waiting to be turned into a delicious meal. You may have noticed numbers popping up on the labels of these fruits and vegetables. These refer to the item’s ANDI Scores, or Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. It was developed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman using a complex understanding of a food’s nutrient make-up. We won’t bore you with details, but you can read more about ANDI Scores here. For our purposes, I will tell you how to read ANDI Scores and what they mean for you.
Basically, the higher the number, the better the food is for you. This is why kale scores a perfect 1000, while soda is at the bottom of the list with a 1; no one can argue against that. In fact, dark leafy greens such as collard, mustard, dandelion, and turnip, as well as all varieties of kale, score at the top of the chart. This means that the nutrient density of these super foods, when compared to their caloric value, is the best there is in whole, unprocessed foods.
It gets trickier to navigate as you move down the chart. Sure, broccoli sounds like a good, healthy option, until you see that it only receives a 376 out of 1000 on the ANDI scale. This does not mean broccoli is bad for you; rather, it simply means that, when compared to the caloric value, kale and other leafy greens have more nutrients. Broccoli is still a great choice over any processed food. Some healthy foods score lower because they are higher in calories, not because they are low in nutrients.
It is also important to remember with the ANDI scale that we must eat a variety of these colorful foods, including ones with lower scores. If we subsisted on dark leafy greens forever, we would not be getting enough fat in our diets. Instead, we should be focusing on choosing whole, unprocessed foods that will provide the most benefits to our bodies. Try to incorporate as much color as possible in your diet to ensure that you are getting a wide variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
As you navigate the aisles, use the ANDI scale as a reference point to ensure that you are getting enough of a variety in your diet. Keep the emphasis on plant heavy whole foods that are naturally low in fat and high in nutrients, and you will be the best you that you can be.
