A comparison of nutrient density scores for orange vegetables: A call for inter‐ and intra‐group variety when recommending vegetable intake

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare inter‐ and intra‐group nutrient density (ND) scores of orange vegetables based on type and preparation. ND scores of carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and 3 varieties of winter squash were calculated using 6 methods. Nutrient profiles/100 g of food were calculated for each vegetable for different preparations. Nutrient analyses were from the Nutrition Data System. ND scores were calculated using: 1) Naturally Nutrient Rich, 2) Calorie for nutrient, 3) Ratio of Recommended to Restricted nutrient, 4) Fulgoni nutrient for calorie, and two ad hoc nutrient for calorie (5 & 6) methods. Inter‐group comparisons between vegetables were based on the mean ND scores for each of the six methods, whereas intra‐group differences were based on the ND scores by preparation. Sweet potato ranked highest with 1, 5, and 6. Carrots ranked highest with 2 and 4; pumpkin ranked highest with 3. When comparing the ND scores of each vegetable by preparation, cooked carrots ranked consistently higher when compared with raw and canned. Baked sweet potatoes ranked highest and canned lowest. Butternut squash ranked highest among the squashes for all 6 methods used. Canned pumpkin ranked higher than cooked. Results illustrate the complexity of calculating ND scores and highlight the need to consider inter‐ and intra‐group differences when recommending vegetable intake. Supported by USDA.