The top 10 nutrient rich fruits and vegetables…

I read this article by Natalia (health and fitness editor at Mamamia) over the weekend and I found it pretty interesting.

The article was entitled “Bad news for kale lovers everywhere” which had me at ‘kale’ because it seems the words health and kale seem to have had a recent marriage and it seems if I’m not including kale in my diet, then I’m not doing it right.

A US researcher from William Paterson University ranked the most popular fruits and vegetables in the world according to their nutrition value and guess what, kale wasn’t one of them.

It always amazes me how marketing and social media can play such a huge role in what ends up being our understanding or knowledge on an item or topic, regardless of whether we have actually researched it.

I’m not saying that kale isn’t good for you in fact it’s great for you. Any fruit and vegetable in my book is fantastic. If you’re including fruit and veg in your diet then that’s all that matters. What I am saying is that if you are busting your guts to find a bunch of kale to put in your smoothy because you’ve been told it’s the perfect morning booster mixed with lemon to kick start your metabolism or any other superfood story you’ve been told, then don’t beat yourself up, grab some spinach instead…

Health, wellness and moderation is the key so if you add any fruit and vegetable at any time of the day, you will be winning.

Here is the list of top ten nutrient rich fruits and vegetables according to the research:

10: Collard Green (or cabbage)
9: Romaine (Cos) lettuce
8: Parsley
7: Leaf lettuce
6: Chicory (never heard of it)
5: Spinach
4: Beet green (the leaf part of beetroot)
3: Chard (silverbeet)
2: Chinese cabbage
1: Watercress

Are you surprised?

Rayne x

Photo credit: nutritionexpert.com