Raspberries are the healthiest food... but instant noodles rank the worst, ...

Raspberries are the healthiest food... but instant noodles rank the worst, ...
Raspberries are the healthiest food... but instant noodles rank the worst, ...

Deciding what food and drinks are healthy has become more and more difficult due to a sea of conflicting claims on the internet. 

But scientists say they have now developed a new 'food compass' that solves this problem for you.

Invented by experts from Tufts University in the US the chart include more than 8,000 food, drinks, and combined meals such as pizza. 

The Food Compass Nutrient Profiling System scores foods based on their total health benefits and drawbacks out of possible 100 points.

Under the system, raw fruit like raspberries top the chart due their nutritional content, while instant noodles, famed for being extremely high in sodium, score a measly one point. 

Surprisingly it says white rice with a soy sauce and an ice cream sundae are on par in terms of health, both scoring bad on the nutritional scale.  

This is likely due to the white rice being a fast acting carb, similar to the sugars in ice cream, and with fewer nutrients and less fibre than brown rice, which scores higher on the scale.  

Another surprise is that pasta scores only one point higher than fast food cheeseburger.

Similar to the rice, this is probably due to plain pasta, also called white pasta, containing few vitamins, minerals and fibre compared to the wholewheat version.

The scientists say the chart is designed to help consumers make healthier choices, encourage companies to make healthier products and provide public health bodies with labelling system. 

A selection of food and drink and how they score under the Food Compass Nutrient Profiling System

A selection of food and drink and how they score under the Food Compass Nutrient Profiling System

Under the Food Compass System a can of Monster energy drinks cores only one single point...

...while carrot juice tops the chart with a whopping 100 points

Under the Food Compass Nutrient Profiling System people should ditch the energy drinks like Monster which scores a one and opt for carrot juice which scores 100.

Berries and fruit galore score high on the chart with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries scoring between 99 and 100 points, but meanwhile...

...a McDonald's cheeseburger, with its beef and cheese, only gets a measly eight points in the system

Fruit like berries scored highs of between 99-100 while a McDonald's cheeseburger scored a measly eight

The top five performing food and drinks in the system were raw raspberries, salted almonds, vegetable curry, tuna salad, and light mayonnaise.

These foods scored highly based on their vitamins and minerals, and their ratios of fibre and protein compared to negative factors such as bad fats.  

On the other side of the scale, the biggest food sinners were pudding, instant soups, fast food cheeseburgers, corn flakes and and a meaty pizza. 

These foods were determined to have too many negative health impacts compared to their nutritional value and could contribute to diet related disease like obesity and heart disease if consumed too often. 

Using Food Compass, eating food and drink scoring over 70 should be encouraged, those between 31-69 should be consumed in moderation, and anything lower than 30 should be mostly avoided. 

The system assigns scores based on 54 'nutritional attributes' divided into nine categories which are linked to diet related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and cancer.

Part of this also includes undernutrition, especially for mothers, young children, and the elderly.

Food Compass scoring system examples of the best and worse

Food Compass Nutrient Profiling System claims to give a better picture of which food and drinks are healthy compared to other systems.

The method is to assess foods by 54 aspects as they relate to human health both positively and negatively, and come up with a total score.

The system advises consuming food and drink that scores over 70 frequently, over 31 moderately, and under 30 in moderation.

Beverages

Good: Carrot juice (100), a nonfat cappuccino (73)

Bad: Monster, Powerade and Gatorade energy and sports drinks (1)

Grains 

Good: Kellogg's Raisin Bran (72)

Bad:  Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (15)

Fruit

Good: Raspberries (100)

Bad: Fruit dessert with cream and/or pudding (17)

Mixed dishes

Good: Vegetable curry (90)

Bad:  McDonald's Cheeseburger (8)

Savory Snacks and Sweet Desserts

Good: Almonds, chocolate covered (78)

Bad: Milky Way chocolate bar and Skittles (1)

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