This is from the BBC, perhaps more trustworthy than some news sites? Pretty funny, anyway.
Scientists studied more than 1,000 foods, assigning each a nutritional score. The higher the score, the more likely each food would meet, but not exceed your daily nutritional needs, when eaten in combination with others.
Of course, "scientists" is a meaningless designation, and it's not clear how the foods tested were chosen, but they later add,
Food selection, ranking and cost based on the scientific study “Uncovering the Nutritional Landscape of Food”, published in the journal PLoS ONE.
So presumably one could find out more details. Below are their top 100, followed by the designated nutritional scores. Note that 99 of the foods are from plant or fish sources—but take a good look at the food ranked #8. Food for thought.
- almonds: 97
- cherimoya: 96
- ocean perch: 89
- flatfish: 88
- chia seeds: 85
- pumpkin seeds: 84
- swiss chard: 78
- pork fat: 73
- beet greens: 70
- snapper: 69
- dried parsley: 69
- celery flakes: 68
- watercress: 68
- tangerines: 67
- green peas: 67
- pike: 65
- alaskan pollock: 65
- green onion: 65
- red cabbage: 65
- pacific cod: 64
- scallops: 64
- pink grapefruit: 64
- dandelion greens: 64
- frozen spinach: 64
- chili powder: 63
- basil: 63
- collards: 63
- clams: 62
- chili peppers: 62
- broccoli raab: 62
- kale: 62
- whiting: 61
- atlantic cod: 61
- mustard leaves: 61
- romaine lettuce: 61
- coriander: 61
- whitefish: 60
- fish roe: 60
- apricots: 60
- cress: 60
- chinese cabbage: 60
- sea bass: 59
- herring: 59
- parsley: 59
- fresh spinach: 59
- walnuts: 58
- red cherries: 58
- butter lettuce: 58
- cow peas: 58
- podded peas: 58
- plantain: 57
- navy beans: 57
- summer squash: 57
- coho salmon: 56
- blue fin tuna: 56
- eel: 56
- lima beans: 56
- taro leaves: 56
- green lettuce: 56
- green tomatoes: 56
- red tomatoes: 56
- paprika: 55
- chives: 55
- arugula: 55
- sockeye salmon: 54
- mackerel: 54
- grapefruit: 54
- golden kiwi fruit: 54
- green kiwi fruit: 54
- cayenne pepper: 54
- leeks: 54
- red leaf lettuce: 54
- green beans: 54
- perch: 53
- rainbow trout: 53
- sour cherries: 53
- pink salmon: 52
- pompano: 52
- kumquats: 52
- hubbard squash: 52
- carp: 51
- oranges: 51
- red currants: 51
- pomegranates: 51
- rhubarb: 51
- jalapeno peppers: 51
- winter squash: 51
- carrots: 51
- octopus: 50
- prunes: 50
- cantaloupe: 50
- water chestnuts: 50
- cauliflower: 50
- broccoli: 50
- brussels sprouts: 50
- burdock root : 50
- pumpkin: 50
- ginger: 49
- figs: 49
- sweet potato: 49
Cherimoya and taro leaves are new to me. I don't know about the former, but if you are impressed by the nutritional score of taro leaves, be advised that they are poisonous if eaten raw. (Like rhubarb leaves, they contain oxalates.) Here's a graphic description of what happened to someone who thought they might be good in a smoothie. WARNING: Horrible symptoms accompanied by similar language.
