In our last email we compared selected nutrient levels in 100 calories of potato with 100 calories of romaine lettuce. We saw that the lettuce was dramatically more nutrient dense, and used that as an example to encourage the inclusion of more vegetables in one’s diet to obtain an abundance of nutrients that support health.
We realize that most people do not eat only mono meals, but include a variety of foods at each meal, and often within the same dish.
So, for this comparison we look at three typical plant-based and raw food breakfasts; one starch-based, one composed of only fruit, and the third composed of the same fruits with added kale.
The starch-based breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal that includes 3 ounces of dry rolled oats cooked in water, with one medium apple, 2 tablespoons of raisins, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon added.
We compare this oatmeal breakfast for selected key nutrients to a fruit-only smoothie consisting of 2 bananas, 2 oranges, 1 cup of fresh or frozen mango and a green smoothie consisting of the ingredients in the fruit-only smoothie plus 2 leaves of kale. The oatmeal provides 474 calories, the fruit-only smoothie contains 471 calories, and the fruit + kale smoothie has 478 calories. This means for all practical purposes this is an “isocaloric” comparison, as we are within a 1% calorie similarity for the smoothies above and below the oatmeal calorie composition.
Starch-Based Breakfast:
Rolled Oats, 100% Whole Grain (3 oz.)
Apple, Fresh, with Skin (1 medium, 3” diameter)
Raisins, Uncooked (2 tbsp., whole pieces)
Cinnamon, Ground (1 tsp.)
Fruit and Vegetable Based Breakfasts:
Banana, Fresh (2 medium, 7” to 7 7/8” long)
Orange, Fresh (2 medium, 2 5/8” diameter)
Mango, Fresh or Frozen (1 cup)
Kale, Raw (optional, shown with and without, 2 leaves)
Each of the meals share many positive nutritional attributes. They are low in total fat, low in saturated fat, and contain no cholesterol. They are high in fiber and are good sources of many important nutrients. They are low in calorie density.
But does this mean the meals are equally healthful? Please look at the table and bar chart below to see how these meals compare to each other for selected nutrient abundance.
Below is the bar chart representation of the table above that illustrates the comparisons, where the meal with the highest nutrient value is assigned 100%, and the meals with the lower nutrient values are shown as the percent value they achieve compared to the food with the greatest nutrient value.
For example, the oatmeal bar for fiber is 85% as high as the smoothie + kale bar for fiber, given that the oatmeal provides about 85% of the fiber that the smoothie + kale meal does. (14.2 grams for oatmeal vs. 16.8 grams for the smoothie + kale.) The fruit only smoothie provides 95% as much fiber as the smoothie with added kale. Oatmeal values are shown in tan, the fruit only smoothie values in orange, and smoothie + kale values are shown in green.
All meals are excellent sources of fiber, as they are each made from whole plant foods. To start by comparing the fruit + kale smoothie to the oatmeal, the smoothie meal provides about 3x the omega 3 content and 4x the vitamin E content without a greater percentage of calories from fat, and dramatically more folate, beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin K. There is also about double the calcium in the smoothie compared to the oatmeal. The oatmeal provides about 3x the iron as the smoothie, and slightly more magnesium.
To add the fruit only smoothie into the analysis, we see that compared to the oatmeal, the majority of the increases in folate, beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E came just from the fruit versus the oatmeal. The kale added to the smoothie provided a dramatic increase in vitamin K, moderate but meaningful increases in omega 3s, beta carotene, and calcium, and smaller increases in fiber, folate, vitamin C, iron, and magnesium. We think this nutrient increase is well worth the 7 added calories, given how easy it is to add some kale before blending, and still end up with a smoothie that tastes delicious and is very satisfying.
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