I spotted another sign down in the produce section and what I read almost brought me tears of joy. If this has been going on all year, it's the first time I noticed it - the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index, a numerical system on in-store grocery items and produce that rates them based on their vitamin/nutrient density per calorie. Kale and Collards, dark, leafy vegetables you've been hearing and reading were so good for you for years now - 1000 points, a perfect score. Soda, the sugary, colored, liquid corn - go home, 1 point.
Sure, I had to seek out the card that explained the scale, but this kind of marketing is exactly what this country needs - an easy-to-read, clear graphic with a number that straight-up tells you which foods are best for you, and which filled with filler or even empty, addicting calories like the ones you read about in Fast Food Nation. The ANDI system was adopted from a book written by Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat For Health, which proposes that a formula exists for healthy food: H=N/C. Health equals nutrients divided by calories.
What does that tell you? Well, nothing that you don't already know if you've listened to any of the books that have hit mainstream in the last few years. Whole foods and, generally, a plant-based diet will fortify you with vitamins and nutrients. Nothing processed, nothing with preservatives. And, if you look at it this way, nothing too white.
I thought of Jamie Oliver. I thought of Huntington, West Virginia. I thought of how much far away things still are from being perfect, how it's cheaper to go across Union Square to the McDonald's for two Big Macs for $4 than it is to buy a pound of grapes right here in this Whole Foods. But, this is a great start, and what's more, I think it's a system that even our parents might buy into. Many younger folks might easily, but, if they do, as a group, then we're onto good things.
No comments:
Post a Comment