Plant-Based Diets, Health Information, and AI
Many people use AI for information. People often search looking for health information hoping to find their solutions to their health and diet. But the fact is there is a wide array of information that sometimes doesn't match up or can actually confuse the person searching for information.
So, what did we do at Garden of Vegan? We did our own brief AI test across several AI sites (including ChatGPT and Bing) to see what AI would return to a simple but loaded question:
We felt we used a reasonable nutrition question which in AI terms is called a prompt: "What is the most nutrient dense vegetable, fruit, legume, and grain in terms of vitamins and minerals?". Here are the general results (combined) *.
Vegetable
Watercress was listed:
Watercress is often considered the most nutrient-dense vegetable. It scores high in vitamins A, C, and K, and provides a good amount of calcium, iron, and magnesium.
but spinach was also listed by other AI systems (one listing below which similar responses were common to multiple sites)
Spinach is often considered one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables because it is rich in vitamins (like vitamin K, A, C, and folate) and minerals (such as iron, magnesium, and calcium) while being low in calories.
and yet another AI system discussed kale:
The most nutrient-dense vegetable appears to be kale. Kale is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals and antioxidants. It is considered a "nutrient powerhouse" that is low in calories.
Other highly nutritious vegetables include spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and Swiss chard. These vegetables are rich in a variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and beneficial plant compounds
Fruit
Guava was reported as a standalone
Guava stands out as a nutrient powerhouse. It's incredibly rich in vitamin C, providing more than double the daily recommended intake in just one fruit. It also contains significant amounts of dietary fiber, folate, and potassium
And other AI systems stated
Among fruits, berries (such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries) are known for their high antioxidant content and good levels of vitamins (especially vitamin C) and minerals (like potassium and manganese).
and yet another AI system stated
...Pomegranates and grapes
Citrus fruits like grapefruits and oranges
Other colorful fruits like apples, plums, mangos, papaya, pineapple, bananas, peaches, pears, and melons
These fruits provide a range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial plant compounds
Legumes
Lentils was reported as a standalone
Lentils are among the most nutrient-dense legumes. They are packed with protein, fiber, folate, iron, and manganese. Lentils are particularly beneficial for vegetarians and vegans due to their high iron content
And other AI systems also listed lentils, however another AI system stated
...The most nutrient-dense legume appears to be chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans). Chickpeas are an excellent source of fiber, protein, folate, copper, manganese, and other vitamins and minerals. Other highly nutritious legumes mentioned include lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, and pinto beans.
Grain
Quinoa was reported as a standalone
Quinoa is a top contender in the grain category. It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Additionally, quinoa is rich in magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and folate
And other AI systems also listed Quinoa, however another AI system stated
The search results do not identify a single "most nutrient-dense" grain, but highlight the nutritional value of whole grains in general. Whole grains like oats are described as being low in fat, high in fiber, vitamins, and complex carbs
Our summary of AI results
We believe the AI winners are:
Vegetable: Watercress, Spinach and Kale.
And, yes we have always known the high nutritional value of green leafy vegetables.
Fruit: Guava, Berries, and Citrus Fruits.
Again, we always write about the benefits of fruits with ample vitamins plus antioxidant properties.
Legumes: Lentils and Chickpeas, among other beans.
This is due to the iron, protein and other nutrients which we have highlighted before and suggest as part of a balanced diet.
Grain: Quinoa came out as a top winner.
Again, we recognize the high nutrients in this grain and have recommend this grain.
Our analysis of AI results
As AI systems search the current information across the internet health sites, scientific and medical studies, and other websites including those from doctors, nutritionists, researchers and more, we believe they have concluded the most nutrient dense food are likely accurate based on their classifications. The slight differences might depend upon the way the comparisons are made depending upon serving size, raw vs cooked quantities, or the way the food is prepared, but in looking at their results, you can see that those foods returned are indeed nutrient dense (which was the point of the prompt). The purpose of this prompt was simply to see what the AI was summarizing and not specifically to treat any speciific nutritional deficits in diets.
What do the AI results show and should they be believed?
It is one thing to use AI to get some basic health and nutrition information, and it is another thing to believe that AI has the definitive answer to a specific health problem or goal. As we have seen, different AI systems can show different results. So if people need definitive health information relative to their current conditions, medical opinions from your doctor(s) should be followed and one should not rely on AI models.
Our Conclusion
The results returned from this AI experiment are in alignment with what we already knew about, write about, and what are included in our meals. When we write about nutrition information in our blogs, we back our statements up with the website or study being referenced, as well as the study name if available. In addition, we typically highlight high-nutrient vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains, like the ones mentioned in the results.
Eating a balanced plant-based diet can help maintain or improve your health. The key to health is balanced nutritious plant-based foods, which Garden of Vegan strives to deliver and does.
When you shop at Garden of Vegan, you get delicious meals and sides with high amounts of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and grains with high nutrient content. In addition, Garden of Vegan is 100% certified organic, gluten-free, preservative and additive-free, and 100% plant-based. So you can improve your diet by getting the healthiest organic, plant-based meals delivered directly to your home or office.
We aim to make getting healthy easier! Get started with healthy meals, side, and snack deliveries, or our super-fresh produce boxes. We also have meal plans for every lifestyle.
How can Garden of Vegan improve your health?
Garden of Vegan can help you with your health goals by making it easier for you to eat healthy nutritious foods:
1. Garden of Vegan delivers healthy, plant-based ready-made meals across Australia. Leave the food cooking and nutrition to us!
2. Garden of Vegan also delivers healthy sides, pantry items, and fresh produce boxes.
3. Garden of Vegan also has many meal plans to help you achieve your health goals.
So when you don't have the time or energy to prepare healthy food, let us help you improve and maintain your health and heart health. All Garden of Vegan delicious meals, sides, and produce boxes are certified organic and dairy-free, gluten-free, additive-free, and preservative-free. So you know you will be getting delicious meals, sides, and snacks that are super healthy as well.
Unable to cook healthy food and you are an NDIS participant? No problem! Garden of Vegan works with the NDIS program too.
Garden of Vegan's customers, including NDIS participants, can rest assured that our organic meals, produce, and pantry items are 100% organic and nutritious! And, NDIS participants only pay for the food cost component of the meals they order. You can learn more about Garden of Vegan NDIS plans and healthy meal delivery by filling out our NDIS form and we'll reach out to you as soon as possible.
We want people to be healthy! We are continually changing our menus and expanding our nutrition information online! Join our Newsletter and read our blog.
Additional health information from Garden of Vegan
Garden of Vegan Vitamin Guide:
Learn more about healthy foods and how you can increase your vitamin intake with healthy meals, sides, sauces, desserts, and pantry items at the Garden of Vegan Vitamin Guide.
References:
* Note, we are specifically not labeling which AI systems are returning what precise results, as to not bias the results which we are presenting. But, here are the systems we used:
Bing Copilot (on Skype),
ChatGPT3.5 (https://chatgpt.com/)
Chat & Ask AI (https://askaichat.app)
Duck Duck Go AI (https://duckduckgo.com/?q=DuckDuckGo+AI+Chat&ia=chat&duckai=1)
Perplexity (https://www.perplexity.ai)
Also, some of the sites offered very similar or duplicate results because they use the same or overlapping data sets.
Our prompt was exactly: "What is the most nutrient dense vegetable, fruit, legume, and grain in terms of vitamins and minerals?"
Different prompts or slightly modified prompts can show different results or conclusions.
