ANDI Food Scores

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is made up mostly of disease-causing foods, with 25% of calories from animal products and over 60% from processed foods; lifestyle-related diseases are the most common causes of death, but according to a 2011 poll by Consumer Reports Health, 90% Americans believe that they eat a healthy diet. In addition, 43% of Americans polled reported that they drank at least one sugar-sweetened drink each day, 40% said that they eat ‘pretty much everything’ that they want, and 33% of overweight and obese individuals reported that they were at a healthy weight.¹

This highlights the nutritional misinformation that abounds in our society. Most Americans do not understand that whole plant foods are the best for our health – they are led to believe that processed foods labeled “low-fat” or “low-carb,” artificially sweetened beverages, pasta, grilled chicken, and olive oil make up a healthful diet. Americans have not yet grasped the concept of nutrient density.

H = N/C (Health = Nutrients / Calories)
Adequate consumption of micronutrients – vitamins, minerals, and many other phytochemicals – without overeating on calories, is the key to achieving excellent health. Micronutrients fuel proper functioning of the immune system and enable the detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that protect us from chronic diseases. A nutritarian is someone whose food choices reflect a high ratio of micronutrients per calorie and a high level of micronutrient variety.

Dr. Fuhrman has completely revised his ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scoring system to provide a more accurate picture of each food’s nutritional quality. Dr. Fuhrman originally developed the ANDI scoring system to rank foods according to micronutrients per calorie, including vitamins, minerals, and as many known beneficial phytochemicals as possible. Since the original calculation of the ANDI scores new information has come to light regarding certain beneficial phytochemicals, such as angiogenesis inhibitors, organosulfides, isothiocyanates, and aromatase inhibitors. Dr. Fuhrman has incorporated this information into a revised algorithm that more accurately reflects the nutritional value of each food.

To effectively and concisely illustrate the concept of nutrient density and rank common foods by nutrient density, Dr. Fuhrman has developed a new reference book for the nutritarian lifestyle, which includes the new and improved ANDI food scoring system.

References:
1. Americans Falsely Believe Their Diet is Healthy. 2011. Discovery News. http://news.discovery.com/human/americans-diet-weight-110104.html - mkcpgn. Accessed