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Evidence-minded articles on the nutrition and health benefits of everyday ingredients — vegetables, fruits, seafood, spices and more.

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All ingredients | Ingredient Health Benefits

All ingredients

Filter by category or search for the ingredient you have in the kitchen.

All Vegetables Fruits Seafood Herbs & spices Tea & drinks Nuts & seeds Grains & legumes Dairy & eggs Meat Oils & fats

Evidence

All Strong evidence22 Moderate evidence77 Early research41 Nutrition data21

161 ingredients

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Artichoke

A meta-analysis of nine randomised trials in 702 people found artichoke extract lowered total cholesterol by 17.6 mg/dL. HDL did not move, and what was tested was a leaf extract, not a boiled artichoke.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Brussels sprouts

More vitamin C than an orange, at 85 mg, and 177 µg of vitamin K. Cruciferous vegetables tracked with lower cardiovascular disease and mortality, but that is observational and not about Brussels sprouts specifically.

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Seafood

Early research

Mussels

100 g of raw mussel meat holds 12 µg of vitamin B12 — 500% of the requirement. The arthritis evidence belongs to New Zealand green-lipped mussel extract, not to mussels, and it held only at medium term.

Grains & legumes

Early research

Natto

Three years of MK-7 in 244 women slowed bone loss at the lumbar spine and femoral neck — but not at the total hip. One year of natto capsules in 334 women changed nothing anywhere.

Grains & legumes

Early research

Rye

Rye products produced lower insulin responses than white wheat bread. Yet in the same trial, bread made from rye bran produced a higher insulin response than every other rye product — the opposite of what more fibre is supposed to do.

Nuts & seeds

Moderate evidence

Chia seeds

17.8 g of ALA and 34.4 g of fibre per 100 g. But ALA converts to EPA at 5–8% and to DHA at under 1%.

Fruits

Early research

Pineapple

Bromelain tablets after third-molar surgery improved pain and quality-of-life scores. But there was no evidence for swelling or trismus, and what was given was an isolated enzyme, not fruit. Pineapple's own strengths are 47.8 mg of vitamin C and 0.927 mg of manganese.

Dairy & eggs

Moderate evidence

Quail eggs

At 844 mg per 100 g, the cholesterol is double a hen's egg. But one quail egg is 9 g, so it carries about 76 mg — less than a hen's egg (about 206 mg). Change the unit and the conclusion flips.

Herbs & spices

Moderate evidence

Saffron

34 randomised trials, 1,769 participants. Self-report depression and anxiety scales fell significantly; all three clinician-rated scales showed no change.

Fruits

Moderate evidence

Tart cherries

Twenty people on juice concentrate for seven days slept longer and more efficiently. Thirty-four people on a 500 mg capsule for fourteen days showed no change on any measure.

Meat

Moderate evidence

Turkey

Fifty grams more poultry a day tracked with 11% lower colorectal cancer incidence in observational studies — but not lower mortality. And the tryptophan story does not survive the arithmetic.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Asparagus

52 µg of folate and 41.6 µg of vitamin K for 20 kcal. And in a study of 6,909 people, close to 60% could not smell asparagus in their urine — it is genetic.

Grains & legumes

Moderate evidence

Buckwheat

Across 13 randomised human studies, total cholesterol fell 0.50 mmol/L — about 19 mg/dL. The authors also wrote that every outcome showed high unexplained heterogeneity.

Tea & drinks

Moderate evidence

Chamomile tea

A meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials. Sleep quality improved significantly. Only one trial looked at insomnia, and in that one nothing changed.

Dairy & eggs

Strong evidence

Cheese

In trials matched gram for gram on fat, the cheese group's LDL sat about 7 mg/dL below the butter group's. The 19.2 g of saturated fat does not explain that.

Meat

Moderate evidence

Chicken liver

Per 100 g: 16.6 µg of B12, 588 µg of folate, 8.99 mg of iron. And 3,300 µg of retinol — one plate is over the adult daily ceiling of 3,000 µg.

Seafood

Nutrition data

Clams

11.3 µg of vitamin B12 per 100 g — 471% of the requirement. Sodium is 601 mg, and most of that salt ends up in the broth.

Tea & drinks

Moderate evidence

Cocoa

A Cochrane review pooled 35 randomised trials and 1,804 people. Systolic fell 1.76 mmHg. In people with normal blood pressure, there was no significant difference.

Dairy & eggs

Moderate evidence

Cottage cheese

12.4 g of protein per 100 g, for 72 kcal. But calcium is 61 mg — 9% of cheddar's 707 mg. The way it is made is why.

Dairy & eggs

Moderate evidence

Kefir

Pooling the randomised trials, blood pressure, CRP, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight all stayed put. Two things changed: fasting insulin, and lactose digestion.

Seafood

Moderate evidence

Kelp

Koreans take three times more iodine from kelp broth than from kelp itself: 348 µg a day against 116 µg. Fishing the kelp back out does not take the iodine with it.

Meat

Moderate evidence

Lamb

2.31 µg of B12, 3.41 mg of zinc, 18.8 µg of selenium. And it is red meat — one analysis puts colorectal cancer risk 14% higher per 100 g a day.

Tea & drinks

Early research

Oolong tea

After 14 days, a full 24-hour measurement showed fat oxidation up about 20%. Total energy expenditure was unchanged. The gap between those two sentences is the whole story.

Nuts & seeds

Moderate evidence

Pistachios

2,900 µg of lutein and zeaxanthin per 100 g, against 1 µg in almonds and 9 in walnuts. Twelve randomised trials show LDL falling — by 3.82 mg/dL.