Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Nutrition Rating Systems Help Consumers Make Healthy Choices

I've been looking for a nutrition rating system that focuses on the nutrient density of food choices. There are several out there. Once caught my eye. It's called the "ANDI" Nutrition Rating System which has been adopted by Whole Foods. ANDI stands for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. Whole Foods is promoting a predominantly plant-based, nutrient rich diet. That means eating less processed foods. ANDI was designed by the author of Eat Right America, Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Eat Right America Food Scoring Guide
Nutritarian Handbook

Bottom line: When using the guide, keep in mind that nutrient density is not the only criteria you should use when making food choices. If you only ate nutrient dense foods you may be missing fat or starchy carbs in your diet.

Overview of the ANDI chart.