{"id":117992,"date":"2026-10-19T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=import-25497-heres-the-food-named-the-healthiest-in-t-202610190915"},"modified":"2026-10-19T03:22:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T07:22:30","slug":"heres-the-food-named-the-healthiest-in-the-world-by-science-and-its-not-kale-25497-g01","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/heres-the-food-named-the-healthiest-in-the-world-by-science-and-its-not-kale-25497-g01\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s the Food Named the Healthiest in the World by Science, and It&#8217;s Not Kale"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>For more than a decade, one vegetable has been treated as the ultimate symbol of healthy eating. It has filled smoothies, salads and chip bags, and even showed up on T-shirts. But when researchers sat down to rank fruits and vegetables by the nutrients they actually deliver, it did not come close to first place. The winner was a small, peppery green that most shoppers walk past without a second look.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><b>Which food came out on top?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is watercress. In a study published in the CDC&#8217;s journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/pcd\/issues\/2014\/13_0390.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Preventing Chronic Disease<\/a>, Jennifer Di Noia, PhD, then an associate professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey, ranked fruits and vegetables by their nutrient density. Watercress was the only one to reach a perfect score of <strong>100<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The method was simple and strict. Each food was scored on 17 nutrients that matter for public health, including fiber, potassium, protein, calcium, folate, iron, zinc and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E and K, calculated per 100 calories. To earn the title of &#8220;powerhouse,&#8221; a food had to provide, on average, at least 10% of the daily value of those nutrients. Of the 47 fruits and vegetables studied, 41 qualified.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The top of the list<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leafy greens dominate the ranking. Here are the first ten, with their scores:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>1. Watercress<\/b>: 100<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>2. Chinese cabbage<\/b>: 91.99<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>3. Chard<\/b>: 89.27<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>4. Beet greens<\/b>: 87.08<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>5. Spinach<\/b>: 86.43<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>6. Chicory<\/b>: 73.36<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>7. Leaf lettuce<\/b>: 70.73<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>8. Parsley<\/b>: 65.59<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>9. Romaine lettuce<\/b>: 63.48<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>10. Collard greens<\/b>: 62.49<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>So where is kale?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 15th place, with a score of 49.07, behind turnip greens, mustard greens, endive and even chives. That does not make kale unhealthy, far from it, but it does mean its superfood status owes as much to marketing as to measurement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some foods with a strong health reputation did not even make the cut. Raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onions and blueberries were left off the powerhouse list, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aicr.org\/resources\/blog\/powerhouse-fruit-and-veggie-rankings-eat-your-watercress-and-blueberries-too\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">American Institute for Cancer Research<\/a> pointed out. The reason is technical: the study did not measure phytochemicals, the plant compounds behind many of those foods&#8217; benefits, because there are no clear standards for them. &#8220;So the scores are based on nutrients only,&#8221; Di Noia explained, adding that the rankings &#8220;may help consumers make nutrient-dense selections within the powerhouse group,&#8221; as reported by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2014\/06\/09\/living\/watercress-tops-list-of-powerhouse-fruits-and-vegetables\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bangor Daily News<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How do you actually eat watercress?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watercress has a fresh, slightly peppery taste, close to arugula. It is usually sold in bunches or bags near the salad greens. A few easy ways to use it:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Raw in salads,<\/b> mixed with milder greens if the pepperiness is too strong at first.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>On sandwiches and toasts,<\/b> in place of lettuce.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>In soups,<\/b> added at the very end so it keeps its color and nutrients.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Blended into a green sauce<\/b> with olive oil, lemon and garlic, like a pesto.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rinse it well and eat it within a few days: like most tender greens, it wilts quickly. And if you are looking for other simple, research-backed ways to support your health, a cheap daily <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/not-ginkgo-not-fish-oil-a-cheap-daily-fiber-supplement-boosted-brain-test-scores-in-people-over-60-in-just-12-weeks-25497-g01\/\">fiber supplement recently impressed researchers in adults over 60<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The bottom line<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The healthiest food in the world, at least by this measure, is not an exotic powder or an expensive superfood. It is a humble green that costs a few dollars a bunch. Kale fans can relax, it is still on the list. But next time you pass the salad aisle, the bunch worth reaching for might be the one you have never tried.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42690,"featured_media":117995,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[8055,2723],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v20.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Food Named the Healthiest in the World by Science | Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A CDC-published study ranked 41 powerhouse fruits and vegetables. One scored a perfect 100. 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