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We're always advised to eat our veggies and fruits, but with so many choices in the grocery aisle and farmers' market, which ones offer the most nutritional bang for your buck?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rates fruits and vegetables based on their nutrient content. Surprisingly, watercress, a peppery green often found in stir-fries and native to freshwater, tops the list with a perfect score of 100. While veggies mostly dominate the top ranks with staples like red bell peppers (41), broccoli (34), spinach (86), and kale (49), tomatoes stand out as the healthiest fruit. Botanically speaking, tomatoes are indeed fruits, and they secure a place at 20 on the CDC's scale, nestled between carrots and lemons.
Berger points out that tomatoes, while being a fruit, have a nutritional profile akin to a vegetable. A 60-gram plum tomato, as per the U.S. Department of Agriculture's data, contains merely 12 calories and less than three grams of carbs. Rich in lycopene, which gives tomatoes their distinct red hue, they are not only nutritious but also beneficial.
Embrace tomato-rich sauces and salsas! Berger asserts that consuming tomatoes and their derivatives can fortify the body against cancers and heart diseases. She references a 2021 study in Food Chemistry, indicating that tomatoes and lycopene can combat coronary artery disease, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, which can lead to strokes or brain aneurysms.
Sara Riehm, an Orlando Health nutritionist, adds that tomatoes are also packed with vitamins A and C, which play pivotal roles in countering inflammation. Riehm emphasizes the importance of vitamin C in the formation of our blood vessels, muscles, and bones, and underscores that "Vitamin A is vital for the health and development of our eyes."