Watercress And More Nutrient Dense Foods That Are Better Than Kale

So each year there is a new hot food in town and healthy eaters are glad to exchange new recipes and convince others of their superfood’s superiority. But while many foods become popular because of the hype, scientists at William Paterson University decided to provide a clear definition of powerhouse fruits and vegetables by studying 47 foods including the super popular kale. They came up with a scheme that classified those foods according to how much daily value they provide per 100 kcal. The classification scheme was based on the 17 nutrients of health importance (reducing the risk of chronic disease) that include potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins A, B₆, B₁₂, C, D, E, K, and also fiber and protein.

Watercress And Other Foods Better Than Kale

From the 47 foods studied only six (blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, tangerine, garlic, and onion) did not satisfy the criterion to be powerhouse foods. The top ten included watercress that came on the very top with a 100 point score (scores over 100 were capped at just 100), Chinese cabbage, chard, beet green, spinach, chicory, leaf lettuce, parsley, and Romaine lettuce.

Kale came in sixteenth scoring 49.07 points followed with arugula, broccoli, pumpkin, and cauliflower. Strawberry is the only berry that has scored as high as 17.59 and a popular weight-loss/healthy food sweet potato finishes last followed only by a white grapefruit.

Here is the table that ranks fruits and vegetables by the mean of the daily values for the aforementioned nutrients:

Item	Nutrient Density Score
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
Scallion	27.35
Kohlrabi	25.92
Cauliflower	25.13
Cabbage	24.51
Carrot	22.60
Tomato	20.37
Lemon	18.72
Iceberg lettuce	18.28
Strawberry	17.59
Radish	16.91
Winter squash (all varieties)	13.89
Orange	12.91
Lime	12.23
Grapefruit (pink and red)	11.64
Rutabaga	11.58
Turnip	11.43
Blackberry	11.39
Leek	10.69
Sweet potato	10.51
Grapefruit (white)	10.47