Admittedly, any "top food" list will have a bit of bias based on personal preferences, but we have tried to honor certain criteria in selecting our top twelve. We believe that the key to healthy eating is to fill your plate with foods that provide high quality nutrition, those foods which are most nutrient dense. This means foods that pack a lot of nutrition alongside relatively few fats and calories. To be on our list, a food must do the following:

Supply a significant amount of nutrition per serving

Supply nutrients vital to bodily functions

Supply nutrients that keep you healthy

Be versatile (able to be prepared in a variety of tasty ways)

Be readily available at a reasonable price

Contain minimal amounts of substances that may be harmful to health (e.g. hydrogenated fats, saturated fats, added sugars)

These foods are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked according to which are the most nutritious.

TOP FOOD	IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS
Avocado	B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin E
Chickpeas (especially tasty when made into hummus)	protein, fiber, folic acid, vitamin B-6, calcium, zinc, and iron
Eggs	protein, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, folic acid
Fish (salmon, tuna)	protein, niacin, vitamin B-12, zinc, iron, omega-3 fatty acids
Flax seeds and flax oil	omega-3 fatty acids, seeds also rich in protein, fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin
Blueberries	rich source of antioxidants, blueberries are known as the brain berry
Lentils	protein, fiber, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folic acid, iron; most intestines-friendly legume
Spinach	rich in folic acid, fiber, vitamin C and calcium
Tofu (firm)	protein, fiber, vitamin A, thiamin, folic acid, calcium, zinc, iron, unsaturated fats, anti- cancer phytonutrients
Tomatoes	vitamin A, vitamin C, health-promoting phytonutrients, especially lycopene
Whole grains	protein, fiber, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-12, folic acid, zinc, iron
Yogurt (plain, nonfat)	protein, calcium, zinc, folic acid, riboflavin, Lactobacilli for colon health
HONORABLE MENTION
Almonds	protein, fiber, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, iron, vitamin E, unsaturated fats
Artichokes	protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, calcium, zinc, and iron
Broccoli	vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, beta carotene, anti-cancer phytonutrients
Cantaloupe	carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene
Garlic	heart-healthy and anticancer phytonutrients
Orange	fiber, calcium, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin C, carotenoids
Papaya	fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, carotenoids
Peanut butter	protein, fiber, niacin, zinc, vitamin E
Peppers (sweet and hot)	vitamin A, vitamin C, B-6, health-promoting phytonutrients, folic acid
Pink grapefruit	vitamin C, fiber, carotenoids
Sunflower seeds	protein, unsaturated fats, fiber, niacin, folic acid, zinc, iron, vitamin E, selenium
Turkey	protein, niacin, B-12, zinc, iron

Don’t think your child is getting enough vitamins? Try Little Champions multivitamins, to ensure your child is getting their daily requirement of vitamins