Top 10 Green Vegetables by Nutrient Density

Written by Max Goldberg on April 16, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

When you go into the produce section of Whole Foods, you’ll notice signs that say “ANDI Score” with a number associated with that respective food.

Created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, ANDI stands for “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index” and ranks a food’s nutrient density on a scale from 1 to 1000.

The ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities, and by dividing the nutrient level of a food by its caloric content (N/C). Read More »

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Dirt! The Movie – A Great Documentary About the Importance of Soil

Written by Max Goldberg on January 29, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

I was at a party the other night and got into a discussion with a bakery owner about how some of the best organic products that I have reviewed on livingmaxwell are from Italy.

Italian Volcano orange juice, Bionaturae fruit spread and Middle Earth Organics pasta sauce were a few organic brands that immediately came to mind.

What is it about food from Italy that makes it taste so good?

I believe it is the soil quality.

Unlike in the U.S., their land has not been ravaged by long-term, toxic pesticide use.

This means that Italy has been able to maintain rich, healthy, and biodiverse soil.  As a result, the country grows fantastic tasting and nutritious food. Read More »

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My Response to the NYT’s “Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing Its Ideals”

Written by Max Goldberg on January 2, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

On Friday in the New York Times, there was an interesting article titled “Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing its Ideals“.

Given the number of emails I received about it, I wanted to address this piece and talk about what I see going forward.

The article points to the the ideal nature of organic – small farms, local farms, an environmental steward of the land, etc. – which has been lost in many parts of the organic industry.

While these are aspects of the organic food industry that everyone would like to hold onto, we live in a capitalist society and market forces have changed the dynamic of the industry, for better and for worse.

FOR BETTER

More people are eating organic food and as a result, they are becoming healthier and fewer pesticides are poisoning workers, the land, and our water supply. Read More »

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Study: Organic Tomatoes Have Higher Levels of Antioxidants than Conventional Tomatoes

Written by Max Goldberg on December 5, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Last year, I wrote about a groundbreaking study from Washington State University that said that organic strawberries have higher antioxidant activity and concentrations of ascorbic acid than conventional strawberries.

This research was the subject of much conversation in the organic industry because now we could point to objective, independent research that validated the superiority of organic.

Well, for those who still don’t believe that organic is a better option, maybe a recently released report from Spain will make them think differently.

In a study performed at the University of Barcelona Science and Technology Centres and reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, ketchup made from organic tomatoes proved to have higher levels of polyphenols than ketchup made from conventional tomatoes. (Polyphenols are biomolecules with antioxidant properties and protective effects in the human body.) Read More »

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My New Favorite Organic Snack?

Written by Max Goldberg on October 28, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

I was never a peanut butter and jelly kid growing up. In fact, it really turned me off.

So, it is kind of ironic that decades later, a much healthier version of the traditional PB&J is now one of my favorite snacks.

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