Foods Ranked Healthiest to the Worst in New ‘Food Compass’
Nutrition advice is confusing. A new study offers some fresh info to chew on.
Nutrition research and advice can be confusing and conflicting, even for someone diligently researching which foods to eat and which to avoid. A comprehensive new ranking system offers a bit of clarity and insight.
“Once you get beyond ‘eat your veggies, avoid soda,’ the public is pretty confused about how to identify healthier choices in the grocery store, cafeteria, and restaurant,” says the study’s lead author, Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
Mozaffarian and colleagues created what they call the Food Compass by applying the latest science on nutrition to examine both the healthy and harmful aspects of more than 8,000 foods and drinks — from raw veggies and natural juices to highly processed cereals, fast-food burgers, and even some popular mixed meals — and ranked each one from one (terrible) to 100 (best).
The full study is published today in the journal Nature Food. One catch: Without a subscription to the journal, for now, you’ll have to rely on my overview of the findings.
