These are the healthiest foods in the world – the top spot is a surprise

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These are the healthiest foods in the world – the top spot is a surprise

Yesterday, January 10, 2024 | 06:37

It is generally not possible to determine which food is healthier. What is very healthy for one person may be bad for another. However, if you look at the vital nutrients they contain, it is clear that there are foods that are among the healthiest foods in the world.

Jennifer De Noia looked at the amounts of 17 vital nutrients found in food. The ratio of nutrients such as vitamin A, B12, or fiber was compared to the number of calories. The higher this value, the healthier the food. Surprise: Only one food was able to provide 100 percent of the daily nutrients with 100 calories.

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Lemon: the healthiest fruit in the world

Who would have thought? Of the 41 foods that met the criteria, only seven were fruits. Lemon reached number 28. This makes it the healthiest fruit in the world – because no fruit has made it into the top ten.

Even if apples, berries and bananas don't appear in the ranking, it doesn't mean they aren't healthy. But the menu was created according to very strict criteria, so that in addition to lemons, only six other types of fruit were included.

Strawberries finished in thirtieth place in the classification. Although collected nuts are 90 percent water, the remaining 10 percent contains plenty of vitamins. With a handful of strawberries you can cover your daily vitamin C needs. Red fruits are also surprisingly low in calories and fat.

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In addition to lemons, other citrus fruits have become healthy foods. Orange, lemon and pink grapefruit landed at No. 33, 34 and 35. White grapefruit is also in and could be happy with the 41st spot.

Blackberries have ranked as the 38th healthiest food. Eating blackberries frequently will protect your cells from free radicals and strengthen your immune system. Dark berries also have a positive effect on the optic nerve thanks to their containment of provitamin A, and they also stimulate the digestion process.

Healthy food is watercress

Eating fruit is definitely always a good idea. However, vegetables are healthier. The surprise is hidden in the first place: the healthiest food of all is watercress. In the study, the inconspicuous medicinal plant achieved 100% of the recommended daily intake of 17 nutrients per 100 calories.

If you are now asking yourself “watercress?” “What's that supposed to be?”, it's completely understandable. The plant is not widespread in this country. Arugula tastes great in herb quark, fresh with potatoes, eggs, or in a salad. They give dishes a spicy and slightly spicy flavour. If you grow watercress yourself, you should make sure that it always needs to be provided with plenty of moisture.

Chinese cabbage is very healthy

Chinese cabbage came in second place in the study. Vegetables are easy to digest and contain many healthy nutrients. Only 100 grams cover a quarter of your daily needs of vitamin C. Chinese cabbage is also rich in vegetable protein and high-quality amino acids.

Mangold comes in third

I stood in the shadow of spinach for a long time: Swiss chard. But this must end now once and for all. Because green leafy vegetables reached third place, ahead of spinach (fifth place) in the list of healthy foods.

Basically, green vegetables are among the healthiest foods in the world. The remaining places in the top ten are also occupied by greens. Beet leaves occupy fourth place, followed by spinach, chicory, leaf lettuce, parsley, romaine lettuce and cabbage.

Things get a little hotter in the top 20: red peppers, chives, kale, broccoli, and pumpkin. If you simply throw everything together in a skillet, you'll have a delicious and extremely healthy meal in no time.

Olive oil is said to prevent strokes and heart attacks

In addition to the many foods mentioned in the study, there are of course many other foods with health-promoting effects. For example, olive oil is said to prevent strokes and heart attacks. It is one of the best oils you can use for food preparation.

This is important for a healthy diet

If you want to eat healthy, you should above all eat a variety of foods. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. A nutritious diet includes unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in fish, avocados and nuts, as well as the good carbohydrates you find in whole grain products.

How healthy are legumes?

Don't underestimate legumes either. Bean, lentil, pea and soybean products are especially good for meeting your protein needs. Eating it will also keep you full for a long time. Legumes are especially indispensable for vegetarians because they contain a lot of B vitamins and are one of the best vegetarian sources of iron.