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161 ingredients
Dairy & eggs
Moderate evidenceFew foods deliver calcium this conveniently. But in much of the world, adults stop producing the enzyme that digests lactose.
Nuts & seeds
Nutrition dataWhole sesame carries 975 mg of calcium per 100 g, far ahead of milk. Hull it and the figure drops to around 60 mg.
Nuts & seeds
Moderate evidenceWalnuts carry 9.1 g of ALA per 100 g, an order of magnitude beyond other nuts. But the rate at which ALA converts to EPA and DHA is very low.
Meat
Nutrition dataMore than half of duck fat is unsaturated. That argument, however, assumes you have removed the skin.
Fruits
Early researchAronia sits at the very top of fruits for anthocyanin content. The problem is that it is too astringent to eat plain.
Herbs & spices
Moderate evidenceMost cinnamon on shelves is cassia, which is high in coumarin and can burden the liver. Knowing which type you have matters more than any benefit.
Vegetables
Early researchThe mucilage is not mucin but a plant glycoprotein mixture. Research on gastric protection is still at an early stage.
Fruits
Early researchFresh jujube beats orange on vitamin C. Dried, most of that is gone and what remains is concentrated sugar.
Grains & legumes
Nutrition dataIt is genuinely excellent for protein and anthocyanins. The popular claim about hair, however, has almost no clinical support.
Grains & legumes
Strong evidenceThree grams a day of oat beta-glucan lowers LDL cholesterol — a claim regulators have actually approved.
Vegetables
Nutrition dataBitter melon contains compounds that act somewhat like insulin. Results in human trials, however, are not consistent.
Vegetables
Strong evidenceMuch of burdock's carbohydrate is inulin, which you cannot digest. It feeds your gut bacteria instead of you.
Seafood
Nutrition dataIts iodine and calcium made it a postpartum food. That same iodine is why thyroid conditions call for caution.
Vegetables
Early researchUltraviolet light converts the ergosterol in shiitake into vitamin D2. Very few non-animal foods can do this.
Meat
Nutrition dataPork carries more than eight times the thiamine of beef. Which cut you choose decides the fat you get with it.
Meat
Nutrition dataBeef's heme iron absorbs at 15–35%, against 2–20% for non-heme iron from foods like spinach. The real questions are the cut and whether it is processed.
Seafood
Strong evidence100 g of mackerel carries more EPA and DHA than salmon. Factor in the price and it is the best-value omega-3 fish there is.
Seafood
Moderate evidence100 g of oysters carries 16.6 mg of zinc — one and a half times an adult's daily requirement. Almost no other natural food comes close.
Herbs & spices
Early researchPlatycodin increases airway secretion and thins mucus — the same direction in which expectorant drugs work.
Herbs & spices
Moderate evidenceThere is evidence for fatigue and immune markers, but the effect sizes are modest. Steaming is what separates red ginseng from fresh.
Meat
Moderate evidence31 g of protein and 3.6 g of fat per 100 g. Almost no everyday food beats it on protein per calorie.
Fruits
Moderate evidenceIts antioxidant capacity really is high. The hormonal marketing, though, runs well ahead of the evidence.
Fruits
Moderate evidenceKiwi is one of very few fruits with trial evidence for improving bowel movements at two a day. It also carries a protein-digesting enzyme.
Fruits
Moderate evidenceEveryone knows about the vitamin C. Less known is that the white pith people pick off carries the fibre and flavonoids.