Comparing Apples and Oranges January 5, 2009

The idea of comparing apples to oranges is widespread in arguments and discussions in Central Texas. The argument suggests that it is difficult to compare the two because they are so different in nature. That may be so, but using a new nutritional index that will be introduced this year, you CAN compare oranges not only to apples but also to broccoli, beets, bananas or thousands of other food products. The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System is an index that scores food from 1 to 100 points, based on 30 nutrient factors. The higher the value, the greater the nutritional benefit of the food.

The NuVal system uses an algorithm called ONQI (Overall Nutritional Quality Index) to determine comparable values between foods. A team of recognized medical and nutrition experts at the Yale -Griffin Prevention Research Center, a collaboration between Griffin Hospital a non-profit community hospital and teaching affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine, spent two years conducting the research.

Comparing the nutritional value of foods is not new. Consumers often use a variety of comparison models to make choices while grocery shopping. Price, taste and convenience are the most popular means of comparison but a few shoppers also shop with health benefits in mind. Health conscious avid food label readers scan every product for its fat content, type of fat included, sodium amount and number of calories. Those experiencing diabetes use the Glycemic Index, a comparison of how quickly a food is metabolized into glucose when digested, selecting those with lower Glycemic Index values to help control the rise in blood sugar following a meal. Active Weight Watchers participants judge food against a criteria based on a points system. While each system has been proven to work, all can get complicated when computing values from labels and it is time consuming to crunch the numbers. The NuVal system uses an easy-to-read value score of 1 to 100. You simply eat more of the higher value foods and fewer of the low scoring foods.

Many people follow the USDA Food Pyramid recommendations for fruit and vegetable amounts based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The chart shows the exact amounts of fruits, vegetables and legumes one should consume based on recommended daily calorie intake. For example, a person on a 1800 calorie diet should consume 2.5 cups of vegetables per day, 1.5 cups of fruit per day and 3 cups of legumes per week. Although the Food Pyramid system works, it does not distinguish among the nutrient contents of various choices. For example, while raisins and pineapple each qualify as fruits in the Food Pyramid system, there is no differentiation between the choices except for amount. Using the NuVal scoring system, we find that the benefits of choosing one over the other can be vastly different. The pineapple gets a score of 99 while the raisins get a score of 26, thus eating pineapple instead of raisins offers greater nutritional value.

A Sampling of NuVal Scores

The following chart includes just a few examples of NuVal Scores for common foods. The link above will connect you with a much larger chart covering a wide range of choices.

Blueberries	100
Broccoli	100
Cabbage	100
Cauliflower	100
Kiwi	100
Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red Leaf & Romaine)	100
Spinach	100
Orange	100
Apple	96
Iceberg Lettuce	82
Turkey Breast (skinless)	48
Chicken Wings	28
Kashi Good Friends High Fiber Cereal	26
Quaker Instant Grits Butter Flavor	6

Comparing frozen vegetables to fresh returned similar, if not identical, scores between the two. This reaffirms the findings that fresh produce is best during the growing season and using frozen produce during the off season will suffice.

Local supermarkets have not said whether or when they will make the NuVal system available in their stores although many are expected to participate sometime this year. It's unlikely we'll see these scores at the local farmer's markets either. If you want to compare yourself, print out the chart, take it with you when you shop and compare yourself.

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