“Identifying Smart Food Choices on the Path to Healthier Diets”

Most Americans are overfed and undernourished. Typical American diets are chipping away at our public health. The declining quality of the American diet is why the just-born generation is projected to be the first with a lifespan shorter than its parents.

Despite abundance, exceptionally broad choices, and a revival of food culture and culinary skills, we are a nation deeply troubled by food. Indeed, just about everything about it – where and how it is grown; the costs, benefits, and risks of biotechnology versus organic farming; what food manufacturers do to nutrient-rich, whole foods; the impacts of added fat, salt, and sugars; the absence of unique flavors and textures, and how farm animals (and farm workers) are treated.

Slowing the spread and progression of degenerative disease is now high on the agenda of millions of Americans. Almost everyone understands that smart food choices are an essential step toward healthier life. But what exactly is a “smart” food choice?

This report provides detailed documentation of The Organic Center's Nutritional Quality Index (TOC-NQI). The system is the most comprehensive and flexible nutrient profiling system ever developed.

How does a person lacking a nutrition degree decide whether to consume another serving of a fruit or vegetable, or a grain-based product, or some other food? Most of us have a general sense of which foods are high in specific nutrients, but very few of us have thought through the complex trade offs across nutrients when one food is chosen over another. For this task, new tools are badly needed. And if a person decides to add a serving of fruit, which fruit will deliver the biggest nutrient dividend for the calories consumed? Or, for families on a tight budget or for individuals choosing foods for a school lunch program or extended care facility, which foods deliver the most nutrients per dollar spent?

A new ruler for identifying smart food choices

A smart food choice is one that delivers significant quantities of health-promoting nutrients at a relatively low caloric cost, and without a lot of baggage that can erode health (e.g., added sugar, salt or saturated fat, pesticide or animal drug residues, or artificial food additives).

In this report, we describe a new tool designed to help identify smart food choices from the perspective of nutrient content or nutrient density.

Read the full Science Report or Check out the 2 Page Summary.