Yea, I can see how ice cream has calcium and protein (albeit a lot of bad fat). But why would fritos score better than bagel or ice cream? Since few concerns for me about salt (very low blood pressure), maybe I need to have some Fritos 
Which was my point about the news report - they gave no backup or detail about the claimed research!
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Detail about the study:
Here are the scores for many foods: Data – The Tufts Food Compass
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Helpful links, thanks!
I like the concept and will study the links some more. At first glance certainly some things confuse me. Skinless chicken only 61 points? But almond milk (which to me seems fairly low on nutrition) is 86 points.
If you are Cheerios fan, you’ll be glad to know it scored 95/100 in this Tufts rating system. Breakfast pastry scored a 1 (ha, worse than the bagel)… I get that.
Always interesting to look at different systems, think more about the food we eat.
I was surprised to see Cheerios at 95, also! Oatmeal is touted as being so healthy, yet look at how much further down this list it is. I’m assuming it is old-fashioned or steel-cut plain oats, but perhaps it is sweetened instant oatmeal? I should look again.
The idea should be that you eat a wide range of items that are decent so that your DIET - what you eat - balances to a generally healthy diet. I’m not eating Cheerios twice a day because they are high on the list. They aren’t going to give me the energy to function , the fiber and natural fluids to digest, etc
Do you eat several items on a “healthy” list on a fairly regular basis? Good enough. America needs to stop looking for that ONE dynamite food item.
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LOL - good comment about dynamite food. Years ago I started telling people it’s good to eat a variety of foods… in case someday someday we learn that oat bran is carcinogenic.
Having said that, if there is a food I enjoy and gravitate to frequently… it can be nice to see it have a decent rating. For my breakfast choices, happily it’s usually not (unless on vacation) a breakfast pastry which unsurprisingly had a low 1-point score.
Often I have Fiber One Original cereal … it (and Cheerios) do rate as an A on MyNetDiary app. But I picked it due to specific attributes on nutrition label and a crunch that I like in combo with berries and bananas.
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Common sense tells us that a nutrient rich diet consists of foods that are close to their original state, as whole and unprocessed as possible with no added sugars and no trans fats, basically avoiding the middle aisles in the grocery store and the bakery. Anything with an ingredient list longer than three or four items is suspect. If I have to read a can or box to help me deconstruct what’s in the package, it’s probably not going into my cart. Nobody needs an article or listicle to clarify that strawberries are healthier than (any form of) bagel or breakfast cereal.
Obviously, the weight equation is “calories in - calories out,” but calorie content is crucial, and that’s where the focus should be IMO. Make those calories count for you not against you.
Lest anyone accuse me of preaching, I always seem to get the cart with the wheels skewed toward the donuts. And you may feel free to whisper if you spy a bag of Fritos buried under the spinach in my cart. It’s for DH. 
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Good points. And of course portion size is important. Nuts are pretty healthy, but I do have to remind my husband (and myself) that they are calorically dense. Still an overdose of nuts would beat an overdose of less healthy processed foods.
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Forgive me, I know I’ve mentioned this about 100 times before, but weight isn’t the best measure of health. Someone can be skinny, light and have too much visceral (bad) fat around their organs, for example. Someone who outwardly looks overweight could have very little visceral fat. All other things being equal, two people with similar height and appearance, the one with more dense bone structure will be heavier than the other with poor bone density.
Body composition is a better measure of health than that weight #.
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I think I have dense bone, lol.
If you’re looking for a quick dinner, I can recommend this:
I made this yesterday and subbed fresh green beans in for the carrots, red pepper and peas. I think almost any vegetable would work. The peanut sauce was really tasty.
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My New York Times subscription sent me an email today with a link to an article about Chia Seeds.
Probably the above link only works for subscribers. So I’ll summarize some points
- Not a miracle food (nothing is)… but it’s fairly healthy
- best eaten when soaked (like chia pudding), not dry
- benefits: high in fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants
- Gluten Free and vegan … sometimes used for making egg substitute
I may need to start making chia pudding again - liked that. Typically I add them to mashed avocados for avocado toast or into yogurt.
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I buy wheat germ, chia seed, hemp seed and flax seed, mix them together in a sealable bag and put it in my oatmeal, yogurt, almond butter/banana sandwich, muffin cup, etc. I try to add it to almost everything typically for my morning snack. I’m a big believer in seeds.
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It was overcast and cool today, and I’ve got a half dozen butternut squash sitting on my counter looking to be used, so I made this yummy fall-flavored green and grain bowl for dinner. Roasted Butternut Squash Winter Salad with Kale, Farro and Cranberry Dressing | Kitchen Confidante
I made a different dressing (apple cider vinaigrette) but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Very tasty and very hearty. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
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That looks great! Just put Farro on my list (in Bulk Store category). Will need to buy butternut squash but have Kale in the garden.
Almond butter ideas or recipes? I might just sub it in recipes calling for peanut butter but thought I’d check here with my foodie friends.
I have not used mine much this summer, and oops… discovered there are two open jars in the fridge.
The almond butter I’ve had tends to be a little more runny than like a standard Jif, so I’d consider that if like baking with it.
Almond butter with apple slices
In a smoothie with banana and your choice of milk - and a little cocoa if desired.
Plain or vanilla yogurt, granola, splash of almond butter
Make a Thai “peanut” sauce
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I like a tbsp or 2 in my oatmeal. Also a good base for energy bites, if that’s your kind of thing.
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Thanks! I added a tablespoon of almond butter (plus some dried coconut that I wanted to use) into to my morning oatmeal … nice change of pace. I will get flax meal at the bulk store today and try the energy bar recipe. Many commenters said they used store boug almond butter, but I’m assuming less than 2 cups (since recipe uses 2 cup almonds, which would get compressed in food processor step).
@abasket - Thanks… can always count on you for excellent suggestions ;). The yogurt idea is appealing, and it will save me putting peanut butter powder on the shopping list this week.
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