129 foods that can serve as the basis of your Healthiest Way of Eating. Links to the articles about these foods can be found below.

Of course, there are many other nutritious foods other than those that we have included on our list that we feel are wonderful, health-promoting foods; if there are other whole foods - such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, etc - that you like, by all means enjoy them. Just because a food is not on our list doesn't mean that we don't think that it can be included in a diet geared towards the Healthiest Way of Eating as long as it is a whole, natural, nutrient-rich food.

To find out why some of your favorite nutritious foods are not included in our list, read The Criteria Used to Select the World's Healthiest Foods.

Vegetables

Asparagus

Avocados

Beets

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Collard greens

Cucumbers

Eggplant

Fennel

Garlic

Green beans

Green peas

Kale

Leeks

Mushrooms, crimini

Mushrooms, shiitake

Mustard greens

Olives

Onions

Potatoes

Romaine lettuce

Sea vegetables

Spinach

Squash, summer

Squash, winter

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Turnip greens

Yams

Seafood

Cod

Halibut

Salmon

Scallops

Shrimp

Tuna

Fruits

Apples

Apricots

Bananas

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Cranberries

Figs

Grapefruit

Grapes

Kiwifruit

Lemon/Limes

Oranges

Papaya

Pears

Pineapple

Plums

Prunes

Raisins

Raspberries

Strawberries

Watermelon

Low-Fat Dairy

Cheese, low-fat

Eggs

Milk, 2%, cow's

Milk, goat

Yogurt

Beans & Legumes

Black beans

Dried peas

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Kidney beans

Lentils

Lima beans

Miso

Navy beans

Pinto beans

Soybeans

Tempeh

Tofu

Poultry & Lean Meats

Beef, lean organic

Calf's liver

Chicken

Lamb

Turkey

Venison

Nuts & Seeds

Almonds

Cashews

Flaxseeds

Olive oil, extra virgin

Peanuts

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Sunflower seeds

Walnuts

Grains

Barley

Brown rice

Buckwheat

Corn

Millet

Oats

Quinoa

Rye

Spelt

Whole wheat

Spices & Herbs

Basil

Black pepper

Cayenne pepper

Chili pepper, dried

Cilantro/Coriander seeds

Cinnamon, ground

Cloves

Cumin seeds

Dill

Ginger

Mustard seeds

Oregano

Parsley

Peppermint

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

Turmeric

Natural Sweeteners

Blackstrap molasses

Cane juice

Honey

Maple syrup

Other

Green tea

Soy sauce (tamari)

Water

Criteria for The World's Healthiest Foods

Among the thousands of different foods our world provides, the majority contain at least several of the nutrients our bodies need but to be included as one of the World's Healthiest Foods they had to meet the criteria listed below.

The criteria we used will also help you understand why some of your favorite (and also nutritious) foods may not be included on our list. For example, Readers have asked why pomegranate, a very nutritious food, is not included on our website. While pomegranates taste great and are rich in vitamins and flavonoid phytonutrients, they are still rather expensive which makes them not as widely available to many people.

1. The World's Healthiest Foods are the Most Nutrient Dense

The World's Healthiest Foods have been selected because they are among the richest sources of many of the essential nutrients needed for optimal health. We used a concept called nutrient density to determine which foods have the highest nutritional value.

Nutrient density is a measure of the amount of nutrients a food contains in comparison to the number of calories. A food is more nutrient dense when the level of nutrients is high in relationship to the number of calories the food contains. By eating the World's Healthiest Foods, you'll get all the essential nutrients that you need for excellent health, including vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, fiber and more for the least number of calories. Read more about Our Food and Recipe Rating System.

2. The World's Healthiest Foods are Whole Foods

The World's Healthiest Foods are also whole foods complete with all their rich natural endowment of nutrients. They have not been highly processed nor do they contain synthetic, artificial or irradiated ingredients. And whenever possible, The Healthier Way of Eating recommends purchasing "Organically Grown" foods, since they not only promote your health, but also the health of our planet.

3. The World's Healthiest Foods are Familiar Foods

The World's Healthiest Foods are common "everyday" foods. These include the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean meats, fish, olive oil, herbs and spices that are familiar to most people.

4. The World's Healthiest Foods are Readily Available

Although there are many foods that are exceptionally nutritious, many of them are not readily available in different areas of the country. The World's Healthiest Foods are foods that the majority people can easily find at their local market.

5. The World's Healthiest Foods are Affordable

We have selected foods that are not only familiar and available, but also affordable, especially if you purchase them locally and in season. This is also the time when they are the freshest and of the best quality.

6. The World's Healthiest Foods Taste Good

The World's Healthiest Foods are also some of the world's best tasting foods. We have created recipes using the World's Healthiest Foods that do not overpower, but enhance, the unique flavor of each food. Each recipe provides a flavor adventure so you can discover new ways to experience and enjoy the great natural tastes of these foods.

129這里列出了可供你的健康飲食菜單所選擇的129種基本食物。關于這些食物的相關文章可在頁面下部找到。

當然，除了我們所列舉的這些很棒的對健康有益食物還有其他不同的可食用品種我們沒有列出。如果你有自己喜歡的水果，蔬菜，堅果/干果，那么請繼續享受這些美食吧。我們不認為沒有在我們列表中出現的一些食物不適合健康飲食的選擇。當然，只要只要這些食物是沒有深加工的，天然的，并且富營養的。

如果想要找出為什么你自己喜歡的一些食物沒有入選我們的列表，請查閱文章“入選世界上最健康食物列表的參照標準”。

蔬菜類：

蘆筍，龍須菜

鱷梨，牛油果。

甜菜根

甜椒，柿子椒。

花椰菜

球芽甘藍

洋白菜，卷心菜。

胡蘿卜

菜花

西芹

綠甘藍

黃瓜

茄子

茴香

大蒜

四季豆，扁豆。

豌豆

羽衣甘藍

大蔥

榛蘑

香菇（椎茸）

芥菜

橄欖

洋蔥，蔥頭。

土豆

羅曼生菜

海產菜類

菠菜

夏季南瓜

冬季南瓜

白薯，紅薯，甘薯。

瑞士恭菜

西紅柿，番茄。

蕪菁

紅壤甘薯

海產品：

鱈魚

大比目魚

三文魚

帶子，干貝。

龍蝦

金槍魚

水果類：

蘋果

杏

香蕉

藍莓

哈密瓜

蔓越橘

無花果

葡萄柚

葡萄

奇異果，獼猴桃。

檸檬

桔子

木瓜

梨

菠蘿

李子

梅干

葡萄干

覆盆子，樹莓。

草莓

西瓜。

低脂乳品：

低脂奶酪

雞蛋

2%脂肪含量牛奶

羊奶

酸奶

豆類和莢果

黑豆

干豌豆

雞豆

蕓豆

小扁豆（形狀是扁的）

菜豆

豆醬

海軍豆（白豆）

花豆

大豆

印尼霉豆

豆腐

禽肉和瘦肉：

牛肉及低脂器官。

小牛肝

雞肉

羔羊肉

火雞

鹿肉

堅果和干果

杏仁

腰果

亞麻仁子

初榨橄欖油

花生

南瓜子

芝麻

葵花籽

胡桃

谷物類：

大麥

糙米

蕎麥

玉米

小米

燕麥

藜麥

黑麥

斯佩耳特小麥

全麥食物

香料和藥草：

羅勒

黑胡椒

辣椒面

干紅辣椒

胡荽子

肉桂

丁香

小茴香子

蒔蘿

姜

芥末子

奧里根香葉，牛至。

香菜

薄荷

迷迭香

鼠尾草

百里香

姜黃粉

天然甜味劑

粗煉糖蜜

甘蔗汁

蜜

楓糖漿

其他：

綠茶

天然醬油

水

世界上最健康的百種食物評判標準

世界上為數眾多的食物中，絕大部分都含有我們身體構成所需要的營養成分，但是可以入選世界上最健康食物名單還需要具備下列要素：

這些我們采用的入選要素也有助于幫助你搞清為什么你所喜愛的食物不在這個名單中。比如，很多讀者都問到為什么石榴這種很常見的食物沒有入選我們網站的最健康食物名單呢？盡管石榴含有大量的維生素和起到抗氧化作用的酮類，但是它的價格卻不是適合普通大眾接受的。

1.世界上最健康的食物需要是極富營養的。

入選世界上最健康的食物名單的食物要具備保證人體健康所需的大量營養物質。

我們用一個叫做營養物濃度的概念來衡量最具營養價值的食物。

營養物濃度是食物中所含營養物的量與卡路里的比值。食物中所含營養物的量和卡路里的比值越高證明該事物的所含營養物屬性越好。使用世界上最健康食物名單中的食物你就可以以最低的卡路里攝入量來滿足身體健康所必需的各種維生素，礦物質，抗氧化物，基本脂肪酸和纖維等營養物的攝入。繼續閱讀我們關于食物和烹飪的評分系統是如何運作的。

2.世界上最健康的食物是天然食物。

世界上最健康的食物中的營養成分完全來自食物中天然的部分。這些食物都是沒有深加工過或者含有人造的，合成的或輻射成分。何時何地，如果可能的話都請食用有機食物，這不單是對我們的健康有利，同時也對我們地球的健康有利。（指生產化肥會帶來環保危機。）

3.世界上最健康的食物是普通的食物。

世界上最健康的食物是很日常的食物。我們的名單里包括了大部分人都很容易買到的蔬菜，各種谷物，堅果，干果，瘦肉，魚類，橄欖油，藥草和香料。

4.世界上最健康的食物是容易買到的食物。

盡管還有很多很有營養的食物，但是它們中的很多種并不是在世界各地都容易買到的。世界上最健康的食物是世界各地的大多數人們都能容易買到的。

5.世界上最健康的食物是買得起的食物。

我們選取的食物不單是常見和易于購買的，它們還都是買得起的食物。特別是在當地應季的時候購買這些食物。應季的食物也是最鮮而且品質最好的。

6.世界上最健康的食物口感要好。

世界上最健康的食物也可以說是世界上口感最好的食物。我們還肯據算選食物推薦了烹飪方法，并且這些方法都不是過度加工破壞口感的方式，而是加強了這些食物本身所獨有的風味的選擇。每一種烹飪方式都提供了一種獨特的味覺體驗，所以接下來你可以開始自己全新的天然美味體驗之旅了！