Pros and Cons of ANDI

For the complete beginner, this is a decent list to learn from. It mostly shows you what are the most nutritious foods out there, which are absent in typical Western diets. If you’re on a budget and looking to make the most of your money, this list might also help you to make informed decisions.
However, the system does have a few flaws.

Number one is the scoring system. If we’re going to be playing a game of numbers, the bulk, if not all, of our diet would only contain 1, 000-point foods (Mustard Greens, Turnip Collard Greens, Kale, and Watercress). As healthy as these vegetables are, they’re lacking in both macro and micro nutrients like Vitamin B12 and dietary fat. If you’re a person that does well on a higher-carbohydrate diet, you’d also be lacking in the carb department as all of these foods are low carb.

Another glaring error is putting foods like olive oil (10 points) and cashews (27 points) at the low-end of the spectrum. Almonds and avocado share the same number of points with white potato and low fat plain yogurt (28 points); bananas and walnuts are also lumped together with whole wheat bread (30 points).
According to the ANDI system, these foods earn their scores based on the number of nutrients they contain per calorie. To quote the ANDI Score chart from Dr. Fuhrman’s website, “The more nutrient-dense food you consume, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories.” While it’s never good to overeat, especially with processed foods, that doesn’t mean you have to eat less, either.

Take olive oil for example. While it can become problematic if someone is pouring almost an entire cup’s worth into their salad, that doesn’t mean it should be classified as being low in nutrients.

Olive oil contains Vitamin E, Monounsaturated Fats, and phytonutrients. Vitamin E functions like an antioxidant, offering protection from damage caused by free radicals (which come from sun exposure, pollution, radiation, cigarette smoking, stress, infections, injury, and even over exercise). [1] The more antioxidants you consume, the better protected you are from inflammation, disease, poor health, and premature aging.

Monounsaturated fats are beneficial to the cardiovascular system and help to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol, manage blood sugar, and maintain healthy cells. [2] They’re an important part of the Mediterranean Diet, which is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world. [3]

The phytonutrient factor of olive oil includes its array of phenols and polyphenols, which have been studied for beneficial anti-inflammatory properties.

Remember that inflammation is behind many diseases and conditions, and is something we want to reduce as much as possible for our health and longevity. [4] 

When taking all of the benefits into consideration, would you still think twice about ranking olive oil as a ‘nutrient poor’ food only because of the fact that it’s high in calories?

With all of that being said, Dr. Fuhrman acknowledges this issue stating, “Nutrient density scoring should not be the only factor determining your health. By only consuming foods with high micronutrient scores, your diet may be too low in fat, vitamins D and B12, and omega-3 fatty acids. Ideally you should mix up high nutrient dense foods with an overall healthy diet.” [5]

This is a better approach to using the ANDI system for total health. It’s certainly interesting to use as a basis for eating healthy, but you shouldn’t rely on it completely. As Dr. Fuhrman said, it’s better to include a variety of whole foods instead of only to a select few.

So let me know what you think about the ANDI system below. Do you follow it? Is there anything you agree or disagree with it about?

Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249911/
[2] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000785.htm
[3] https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mediterranean-diet
[4] http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132
[5] https://inmyskinnygenes.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/screen-shot-2013-09-12-at-8-30-09-pm.png