Fruits 46

Tropical

Banana

Known forPotassium, vitamin B6 and, in less-ripe fruit, resistant starch.Why we use itThe world’s most-eaten fruit brings a starchy, mineral-forward profile that balances the juicy, acidic fruits around it.

Mango

Known forMangiferin, a polyphenol found in very few foods, plus beta-carotene and vitamin C.Why we use itMango is one of the only everyday sources of mangiferin, a compound almost no other fruit can add.

Pineapple

Known forBromelain, the enzyme found in its fruit and stem, plus vitamin C and manganese.Why we use itOne of three enzyme fruits we use, with papaya and kiwi, each carrying a different natural enzyme.

Papaya

Known forPapain, a natural fruit enzyme, and beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid.Why we use itIts carotenoid mix differs from carrot and mango, widening the range of orange plant pigments.

Guava

Known forVitamin C, dietary fiber and, in pink guava, lycopene.Why we use itFew fruits carry lycopene. Pink guava does, joining tomato and watermelon as a red carotenoid source.

Passion Fruit

Known forPiceatannol, a polyphenol closely related to resveratrol, plus vitamins A and C.Why we use itA tropical source of stilbenes, a compound family most people only connect with grapes.

Coconut

Known forMedium-chain fats in its flesh and electrolytes like potassium in its water.Why we use itThe only fruit we use with a meaningful natural fat profile, unlike any berry or citrus.

Watermelon

Known forLycopene and L-citrulline, an amino acid named after the melon itself (Citrullus).Why we use itAdds citrulline, an amino acid concentrated in melons, plus another red carotenoid source.

Cantaloupe

Known forBeta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium in its orange flesh.Why we use itAn orange-fleshed melon that brings carotenoids from a fruit instead of a root vegetable.

Dragon Fruit

Known forBetalains in red-fleshed varieties, plus fiber and magnesium.Why we use itOne of the few fruits colored by betalains, the same red pigment family that colors beetroot.

Kiwi

Known forActinidin, a rare fruit enzyme, plus vitamins C, E and K.Why we use itGram for gram one of the most vitamin C-dense common fruits, with an enzyme found almost nowhere else.

Persimmon

Known forCondensed tannins, beta-cryptoxanthin and manganese.Why we use itAn Asian orchard fruit whose tannin profile is unlike any berry’s.

Star Fruit

Known forEpicatechin and other flavonoids, plus vitamin C.Why we use itCarambola from Southeast Asia, a fruit most Americans rarely eat, adding new flavonoid variety.

Jackfruit

Known forCarotenoids, flavonoids and fiber from the largest tree fruit on earth.Why we use itA staple across South and Southeast Asia that brings tropical carotenoids from outside the usual grocery list.

Lychee

Known forOligomeric procyanidins, concentrated in its skin, plus vitamin C.Why we use itA Chinese heritage fruit that adds procyanidins from outside the berry family.

Longan

Known forGallic acid, ellagic acid and vitamin C.Why we use itLychee’s cousin, prized in Southeast Asian kitchens, with its own phenolic acid profile.

Mangosteen

Known forXanthones, a polyphenol family found mainly in its purple rind.Why we use itThe best-known food source of xanthones, a compound family no other plant here provides.

Soursop

Known forPhenolic acids, vitamin C and a creamy, sweet-tart pulp.Why we use itAlso called guanábana, a Caribbean and Latin American favorite that rounds out the tropical group.

Berries

Blueberry

Known forAnthocyanins, the blue-purple pigments in its skin, plus vitamin K and manganese.Why we use itThe best-known blue food, covering the blue end of the plant color spectrum.

Strawberry

Known forEllagitannins, vitamin C and fisetin, a flavonoid strawberries carry more of than almost any other food.Why we use itAmerica’s favorite berry and the top common food source of fisetin.

Raspberry

Known forEllagitannins, anthocyanins and dietary fiber.Why we use itOne of the highest-fiber fruits per serving, with ellagitannins similar to pomegranate’s.

Cranberry

Known forA-type proanthocyanidins (PACs), a tannin structure rare among fruits.Why we use itIts A-type PACs are built differently from the tannins in every other berry.

Cherry

Known forCyanidin anthocyanins in its dark red skin, plus potassium and vitamin C.Why we use itThe sweet counterpart to tart cherry, broadening the cherry polyphenol profile.

Tart Cherry

Known forAnthocyanins and other polyphenols in its sour red flesh.Why we use itAmerica’s classic sour cherry, grown largely in Michigan orchards, included here as whole fruit.

Elderberry

Known forCyanidin-3-sambubioside, one of the darkest berry anthocyanins.Why we use itA European folk-tradition berry that adds the deepest purple pigment we use.

Black Currant

Known forDelphinidin anthocyanins and vitamin C.Why we use itA British and Scandinavian staple whose anthocyanins differ from blueberry’s and cherry’s.

Mulberry

Known forAnthocyanins, resveratrol and iron.Why we use itA tree berry used for centuries in Asia and the Middle East, with a profile distinct from bush berries.

Amla

Known forEmblicanin tannins, gallic acid and vitamin C.Why we use itIndian gooseberry, a cornerstone of Ayurvedic food traditions for more than two thousand years.

Pineberry

Known forEllagitannins in a white heirloom strawberry with pineapple notes.Why we use itA rare heirloom variety most people have never tasted.

Acerola

Known forOne of the most concentrated natural sources of vitamin C on earth.Why we use itVitamin C from a whole cherry-like fruit grown in the Caribbean and Brazil.

Orchard

Apple

Known forQuercetin in the skin, chlorogenic acid and pectin, the soluble fruit fiber.Why we use itApples are a classic source of pectin, the same kind of fruit fiber that sets every Happy Soul gummy instead of gelatin.

Pear

Known forFiber, chlorogenic acid and arbutin, a compound found mainly in pears and a few wild plants.Why we use itPears bring arbutin, a phenolic compound almost no other fruit contains.

Peach

Known forChlorogenic acid, carotenoids and vitamin C.Why we use itA Southern orchard classic that adds stone-fruit polyphenols and soft yellow carotenoids.

Plum

Known forNeochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, plus anthocyanins in its purple skin.Why we use itPurple pigment from the orchard instead of the berry patch.

Apricot

Known forBeta-carotene and potassium.Why we use itOrange carotenoids from a stone fruit, complementing carrot and sweet potato.

Fig

Known forFiber, calcium, potassium and polyphenols concentrated in its dark skin.Why we use itOne of the oldest cultivated fruits and one of the few fruits with notable calcium.

Prune

Known forFiber, sorbitol, vitamin K and neochlorogenic acid.Why we use itDrying the plum concentrates its compounds, so prune adds a denser take on plum’s profile.

Nectarine

Known forCarotenoids, phenolic acids and vitamin C.Why we use itThe smooth-skinned peach, adding more stone-fruit range.

Grape

Known forResveratrol in the skin and proanthocyanidins in the seed.Why we use itWhole-grape polyphenols, skin to seed, the compound family that made red grapes famous.

Pomegranate

Known forPunicalagins and ellagic acid, compounds found in very few foods.Why we use itPomegranate’s punicalagins are nearly unique in the plant world.

Citrus

Orange

Known forHesperidin, vitamin C and folate.Why we use itThe world’s most-loved citrus and the main dietary source of hesperidin.

Tangerine

Known forNobiletin and tangeretin, flavones concentrated in the peel.Why we use itAdds polymethoxyflavones, a compound class found almost only in citrus peel.

Lemon

Known forEriocitrin, limonene and vitamin C.Why we use itLemons carry more eriocitrin than other citrus, a flavanone of their own.

Lime

Known forLimonoids and vitamin C.Why we use itA Latin American and Caribbean kitchen staple that adds limonoids, a citrus-only compound family.

Grapefruit

Known forNaringin, the flavanone behind its bitterness, plus lycopene in pink and red varieties.Why we use itIts naringin is a flavanone other citrus barely carry.

Yuzu

Known forAromatic citrus oils, hesperidin and vitamin C.Why we use itA prized Japanese citrus that rounds out the group with a rare variety.

Vegetables 21

Roots & Bulbs

Beet

Known forBetalains and naturally occurring dietary nitrates in the deep red root.Why we use itThe root behind beet’s signature color, used here alongside beet greens, root to leaf.

Carrot

Known forAlpha- and beta-carotene, the orange pigments named after the carrot, plus vitamin K.Why we use itThe classic carotene source and the namesake of the whole carotenoid family.

Sweet Potato

Known forBeta-carotene, potassium and fiber in its orange flesh.Why we use itA Southern staple. North Carolina, home of our kitchen, grows more sweet potatoes than any other state.

Radish

Known forGlucoraphenin, the glucosinolate behind its peppery bite, plus vitamin C.Why we use itA crunchy cruciferous root that brings cabbage-family chemistry from below ground.

Turnip

Known forGlucosinolates, vitamin C and fiber.Why we use itA cruciferous root that extends glucosinolate sources beyond leafy greens.

Rutabaga

Known forGlucosinolates, vitamin C and potassium.Why we use itA turnip and cabbage cross with its own sulfur-compound profile.

Garlic

Known forAlliin, which becomes allicin when crushed, and other organosulfur compounds.Why we use itAlliums carry sulfur compounds found in no other plant family.

Onion

Known forQuercetin, from one of its top dietary sources, plus organosulfur compounds.Why we use itThe most-eaten allium and a leading food source of quercetin.

Leek

Known forKaempferol, inulin-type fiber and vitamin K.Why we use itA milder allium whose signature flavonoid is kaempferol instead of quercetin.

Ginger

Known forGingerols and shogaols, the pungent compounds unique to ginger.Why we use itA rhizome used in kitchens worldwide, with a compound family found nowhere else.

Garden

Celery

Known forApigenin, luteolin and naturally occurring nitrates.Why we use itA crisp stalk that adds apigenin, a flavone few vegetables carry.

Cucumber

Known forCucurbitacins and vitamin K, with a very high water content.Why we use itThe gourd family brings its own chemistry, distinct from roots and leaves.

Green Bean

Known forChlorophyll, kaempferol, quercetin and fiber.Why we use itA green pod vegetable that widens flavonoid variety beyond leaves.

Green Bell Pepper

Known forVitamin C and luteolin.Why we use itAdds luteolin, a flavonoid less common than quercetin in everyday diets.

Pea

Known forPlant protein, saponins and fiber.Why we use itA legume that brings plant protein and saponins, a profile no fruit provides.

Tomato

Known forLycopene, the red carotenoid tomatoes are famous for, plus vitamin C.Why we use itThe most-eaten lycopene source in the American diet.

Cruciferous

Broccoli

Known forGlucoraphanin, the precursor to sulforaphane, plus vitamins C and K.Why we use itThe most familiar cruciferous vegetable and the backbone of the group.

Broccoli Sprouts

Known forGlucoraphanin at many times the concentration found in mature broccoli.Why we use itYoung broccoli sprouts are the most concentrated food source of glucoraphanin.

Brussels Sprouts

Known forSinigrin, a glucosinolate, plus vitamins K and C.Why we use itBrings a different glucosinolate than broccoli.

Cauliflower

Known forGlucosinolates, choline and vitamin C.Why we use itA mild cruciferous vegetable with a choline profile of its own.

Cabbage

Known forGlucosinolates, vitamin C and, in red cabbage, anthocyanins.Why we use itOne of the oldest cultivated vegetables, eaten fresh and fermented on every continent.

Greens 16

Leafy

Kale

Known forLutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin K and glucosinolates.Why we use itThe best-known dark leafy green, carrying carotenoids and cabbage-family compounds in one leaf.

Spinach

Known forLutein, folate, magnesium and naturally occurring nitrates.Why we use itA dark leafy green with naturally occurring nitrates, a natural partner to beet.

Collard Greens

Known forGlucosinolates, calcium and vitamin K.Why we use itA Southern kitchen staple and one of the most calcium-dense leafy greens.

Swiss Chard

Known forBetalain-colored stems, magnesium and vitamin K.Why we use itChard is the same species as beet, grown for its leaves instead of its root.

Parsley

Known forApigenin, myricetin and vitamin K.Why we use itOne of the most concentrated food sources of apigenin.

Lettuce

Known forLactucin, vitamin K and naturally occurring nitrates.Why we use itThe world’s most-eaten salad green, with lactucin found almost only in lettuce and its relatives.

Arugula

Known forErucin, a glucosinolate breakdown product, and some of the highest nitrate levels of any vegetable.Why we use itA peppery Mediterranean green from the cabbage family.

Watercress

Known forPhenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and vitamin K.Why we use itWatercress tops the CDC’s list of powerhouse fruits and vegetables for nutrient density.

Beet Greens

Known forLutein, vitamin K and nitrates in the beet’s own leaves.Why we use itThe tops of the beet plant, so beet is here root to leaf.

Grasses & Algae

Wheatgrass

Known forChlorophyll, vitamin K and minerals from young wheat leaves.Why we use itHarvested as young grass, before the grain forms.

Barley Grass

Known forSaponarin, a flavonoid characteristic of young barley leaves, plus chlorophyll.Why we use itA second cereal grass with a flavonoid wheatgrass doesn’t carry.

Alfalfa

Known forVitamin K, saponins and plant protein.Why we use itA legume leaf, joining pea as the second legume we use.

Moringa

Known forMoringin, quercetin and beta-carotene.Why we use itThe drumstick tree leaf, a staple across India and Africa, with an isothiocyanate of its own.

Spirulina

Known forPhycocyanin, the blue-green pigment, plus plant protein.Why we use itPhycocyanin is a blue pigment almost no other food carries.

Chlorella

Known forOne of the most chlorophyll-dense foods, plus plant protein.Why we use itA single-celled green alga that pairs with spirulina to cover green and blue-green algae.

Aloe

Known forAcemannan, a polysaccharide from the inner leaf gel.Why we use itA plant carbohydrate unlike any fruit fiber.