Vegan

Every food and recipe in the library that fits a vegan pattern. Derived from what each ingredient is, not from a product label — the food library carries the same filter, and remembers it across the site.

Foods

• Acorn SquashAcorn squash looks plain, but one cooked cup gives you more potassium than a banana, plenty of fiber, and a good hit of vitamin C.
• Adzuki BeansAdzuki beans are small red beans packed with fiber, iron, and folate — good nutrition that comes from eating the whole bean, not from a special powder or "detox" trend.
• Alcoholic BeverageAlmost all the energy in a spirit comes from the alcohol itself, not from sugar.
• Almond BeverageA low-calorie drink that is mostly water. Check the label for added calcium — that is the part that matters.
• Almond ButterAlmond butter packs healthy fats, vitamin E, and magnesium into a small scoop — but it's easy to eat way more than one serving.
• Almond MilkA seventh of milk’s protein. Everything it does offer was added at the factory.
• AlmondsA genuinely good vitamin E source, wrapped in fibre and healthy fat.
• AmaranthAmaranth is a tiny ancient seed packed with a rare protein building block most grains lack, but its calcium doesn't count for as much as milk's does.
• Anzac BiscuitA traditional treat biscuit, high in sugar and saturated fat, best enjoyed for what it is.
• AppleMost of its fibre, and a notable antioxidant, live in the skin.
• Apple JuiceAn apple with the fibre removed and the sugar left in.
• ApricotApricots are a sweet, low-calorie fruit loaded with vitamin A that helps your eyes, skin, and immune system -- just never eat the seed inside the pit.
• ArtichokeArtichokes are a fiber-packed flower bud that feeds your gut bacteria and gives your liver a gentle nudge to make more bile for digesting fat.
• Artichoke Hearts (Canned)Four point seven grams of fibre on 25 calories — the best ratio in the library.
• ArugulaArugula's spicy taste and its vitamin K, calcium, and nitrates all come from the same peppery plant compounds.
• AsparagusA prebiotic fibre source, famous for a harmless and genetically variable side effect.
• AvocadoMore potassium per serving than a banana — not the food people expect.
• Avocado OilAvocado oil is loaded with heart-healthy fat and vitamin E, but only if the bottle you bought is actually pure avocado oil.
• BagelDenser than it looks, and one bagel is usually two serves of bread.
• Baked BeansFour point eight grams of fibre a hundred, for 91 calories. The tin is better than its reputation.
• Baking PowderHalf a teaspoon in a cake is nothing. A spoonful straight is a medical emergency.
• Baking SodaNot a food, an ingredient. It has no energy at all, but gram for gram it carries more sodium than salt.
• Balsamic VinegarThe only vinegar with real sugar in it — and still 79 calories per hundred.
• Bamboo ShootsFourteen calories per hundred grams — the lightest food in the library.
• BananaA practical potassium source — tablets are capped far lower for safety.
• Banana ChipA fried snack made from fruit, closer to a crisp than to a banana.
• BarThe health-food end and the confectionery end of this shelf are closer together than the packaging suggests.
• Barbecue SauceThirty-eight grams of sugar per hundred. More than most confectionery.
• BarleyThe same cholesterol-lowering fibre found in oats, in a chewier grain.
• BasilA fragrant herb that is genuinely nutrient-dense by weight, though you only ever eat a small amount of it at a time.
• BeanDried, fresh and canned beans look like different foods but mostly differ in how much water they hold.
• Bean SproutsBean sprouts are crunchy, low-calorie veggies with real vitamin C and vitamin K in them, but they should be cooked, not eaten raw, to stay safe.
• BeetrootRaw, baked, boiled or canned — the cooking method changes this vegetable more than most.
• BeetsA natural nitrate source that genuinely improves blood flow — the same idea behind citrulline supplements.
• Bell PeppersContains more vitamin C per serving than an orange does.
• Berry JamTwo-thirds sugar, and the sugar is why it keeps.
• BeverageChocolate milk drinks are mostly milk. The powder adds flavour, sugar, and sometimes added vitamins.
• Beverage BaseMostly sugar with some cocoa — the milk you mix it into does most of the nutritional work.
• BiscuitSweet biscuits vary by how much fat and sugar got added; savoury ones vary by fat and salt.
• Bitter MelonBitter melon is a super low-calorie vegetable packed with vitamin C, and some studies show it can gently help lower blood sugar, but it's not a magic diabetes cure.
• Black BeansA type of starch that reaches your colon mostly intact — which is the whole point.
• Black PepperA spice used by the shake, but with a genuinely useful trick — it helps your body absorb other nutrients better.
• Black TeaAbout a third the caffeine of coffee, with tannins that blunt iron absorption.
• Black-Eyed PeasBlack-eyed peas aren't really peas — they're beans packed with fiber and plant protein, plus a B vitamin called folate that helps your body build new blood cells.
• BlackberriesOne of the few fruits with enough vitamin K that it matters for anyone on blood thinners.
• BlackcurrantBlackcurrants are small, tart berries loaded with vitamin C and deep purple plant compounds called anthocyanins that are good for your heart, eyes, and blood vessels.
• Blood OrangeBlood oranges look different because of a special red pigment — not because they have way more vitamin C than regular oranges.
• BlueberriesA mixture of hundreds of antioxidant compounds no single pill copies.
• Bok ChoyBok choy is a crunchy, low-calorie green that quietly packs a lot of bone-friendly vitamin K and immune-supporting vitamin C.
• Borlotti BeansBorlotti beans are a fiber and folate powerhouse, but eating them raw or undercooked can make you sick, so always cook them all the way through.
• BoysenberryBoysenberries are a man-made berry mix, packed with fiber and vitamin C, that helps your gut and immune system.
• Bran Flakes (Fortified)Nineteen grams of fibre and almost a full day of iron — most of it added.
• Brazil NutsOne Brazil nut can pack more selenium than you need for the whole day, so a couple of nuts is plenty.
• BreadWhat separates one loaf from another is mostly how much of the wheat grain is still in it.
• Bread RollA roll is loaf dough in a different shape — more crust, one fixed portion, and sometimes cheese baked on top.
• BreadcrumbsBecause the water is gone, everything else in the bread is roughly three times as concentrated.
• BreadfruitBreadfruit looks like a big green potato-fruit, and just like a potato, you always cook it before eating -- raw breadfruit is hard, bitter, and unpleasant.
• Breakfast CerealTwo cereals can sit side by side on the same shelf and be almost nothing alike.
• BroccoliContains something no supplement quite copies — and it depends how you cook it.
• BroccoliniBroccolini is a friendly veggie hybrid with crunchy stems and a mild taste, and it packs a big dose of vitamin C and vitamin K into every bite.
• Brown RiceThe bran layer left on is where the whole difference from white rice lives.
• Brussels SproutsOne of the most concentrated vitamin K sources in the produce aisle.
• BuckwheatDespite the name, it is not wheat at all — and it is naturally gluten-free.
• Buckwheat GroatsA gluten-free seed cooked like rice, with more magnesium and protein than most grains.
• Bulgur WheatBulgur is cracked wheat that's already partly cooked, so it fills you up fast without spiking your blood sugar the way white rice or bread can.
• BunA sweet bread. Most of the difference across the three is the icing on top.
• Butter BeansA soft, buttery bean that must always be cooked — never eaten raw.
• Butternut SquashButternut squash's orange color is basically a vitamin A signal, but your body only turns as much of it into usable vitamin A as it needs, and cooking plus a little fat helps that process along.
• CabbageAn underrated vitamin C source, and the raw material for sauerkraut and kimchi.
• Cacao NibsCacao nibs are crushed, unsweetened chocolate beans — full of minerals and a gentle, coffee-like lift, but they're not a sugary treat.
• CakeAll cakes are sweet. What really separates them is how much butter, oil or cream is in the crumb.
• Cake MixThe numbers here are for the powder in the box, not the cake that comes out of the oven.
• Cake or CupcakeA treat, and one of the lighter cakes at that. Sponge gets its lift from whipped eggs rather than from butter.
• Canned BeetrootThe nitrate that lowers blood pressure survives the tin. Some of it, anyway.
• Cannellini BeansCannellini beans are a fiber and plant-protein powerhouse — just be sure they're fully cooked, since raw beans can make you sick.
• Canola OilThe lowest saturated fat of any common cooking oil, and it costs the least.
• CantaloupeCantaloupe is mostly water and natural sugar, but it still packs a real dose of vitamin C and vitamin A into every juicy bite.
• Capers2,348 mg of sodium per hundred grams — the saltiest food in the library.
• CapsicumGreen capsicums are just unripe red ones — and ripening is what builds the vitamin C and colour.
• Caraway SeedsThe seed behind rye bread and goulash, and one of the highest-fibre things in this database by weight.
• Cardamom SeedThe nutrition table is per 100g. Nobody eats 100g of cardamom.
• CarrotsCooking actually makes its signature nutrient easier to absorb.
• CashewsOne of the better magnesium sources among common nuts.
• CassavaCassava is a starchy root that gives you quick energy — but eating it raw or undercooked can make you seriously sick.
• CauliflowerBroccoli’s milder cousin, with a gentler version of the same compounds.
• CeleriacCeleriac looks like a dirt-covered brain, but it's really celery's underground cousin — and it's loaded with vitamin K, potassium, and fiber.
• CeleryFamous for being low-calorie, but the real story is fibre and potassium.
• Chayote SquashChayote is basically water with a crunch, but it quietly delivers a solid dose of folate.
• CherryFresh, frozen and canned cherries are the same fruit with very different amounts of added sugar.
• Chia SeedsForms a gel in liquid the same way oat fibre does, only faster.
• ChickpeasA plant iron and protein source that also feeds your gut bacteria.
• Chicory (Witlof)A low-calorie, slightly bitter leafy vegetable — from the same plant whose root is roasted and used as a coffee substitute.
• ChilliGreen chillies are just unripe red ones, and ripening is what builds up the colour and the vitamins.
• Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)Chinese broccoli looks like a leafy stem vegetable, but it packs a serious punch of vitamins A, C, and K into very few calories.
• ChivesChives pack a vitamin K punch pound-for-pound, but since you only ever use a small sprinkle, don't expect much from a garnish-sized serving.
• ChocolateNeither of these is the chocolate the health headlines are about.
• Chocolate Hazelnut SpreadMore than half sugar, under a third fat, and the hazelnuts are the smallest part.
• ChokoA mild, watery vegetable that takes on whatever it is cooked with.
• Chutney or RelishMade of fruit and vegetables, but preserved with enough sugar and salt to change what it is.
• CiderFermented apple juice, where about half the kilojoules come from the alcohol rather than the sugar.
• ClementineClementines are a quick hit of vitamin C in a fruit you can peel with your thumbs.
• Cocoa PowderThe drinking chocolate without the three-quarters sugar. Almost nothing else changes.
• CoconutCoconut has good fiber and minerals, but most of its fat is saturated fat -- the kind that can raise cholesterol if you eat a lot of it.
• Coconut BeverageFortified or not is the whole question — and either way it is not a swap for milk on protein.
• Coconut CreamCoconut milk's richer, more concentrated cousin — less water pressed through the coconut flesh means more fat per spoonful.
• Coconut MilkA rich, fatty liquid pressed from coconut flesh — most of its calories come from saturated fat.
• Coconut OilCoconut oil gives quick energy from a small part of its fat, but most of it still raises your cholesterol like butter does.
• Coconut WaterSold as nature’s sports drink. It has the wrong electrolyte for the job.
• CoffeeThe most widely used stimulant on earth, and one of the best studied.
• Coffee MixInstant coffee, sugar and a fat-based whitener dried into one powder. The coffee is the smallest part of it by weight.
• Cola (Regular)Liquid sugar with no fibre to slow it and no satiety to show for it.
• Collard GreensCollard greens are a leafy green loaded with vitamin K, calcium, and vitamin A — cooking them with a little fat helps your body use more of it.
• ConeA hollow biscuit that holds the ice cream. It is the ice cream that carries the calories.
• CordialDiluted to taste, which is exactly the problem.
• Cordial BaseThis is a syrup meant to be watered down, so the numbers on the table are about four to five times what ends up in the glass.
• CorianderA herb that is either a favorite or (for a real genetic reason) tastes like soap to some people — and is genuinely rich in folate and iron by weight.
• Coriander SeedThe numbers here look impressive, but a teaspoon weighs two grams — treat this as flavour, not nutrition.
• CornPart vegetable, part grain — and one of the best food sources of the eye pigments.
• Corn ChipsFried nixtamalised maize and salt — more fibre than a potato crisp, and roughly the same amount of salt.
• Corn TortillaSoaking corn in lime doesn't just turn it into dough — it unlocks nutrients that plain corn keeps hidden away.
• CornbreadCornbread gives you quick energy from cornmeal carbs, plus a B-vitamin boost if the cornmeal was enriched.
• Cornflakes (Fortified)Nutritionally, most of what is on the label was sprayed on afterwards.
• Cornflour (Cornstarch)Pure starch, nothing else — which is exactly what it is for.
• CornmealCooking polenta does not change what is in it much — it mostly adds water.
• CouscousCouscous looks like a grain but it's really tiny wheat pasta pellets — so your body breaks it down fast, more like noodles than like brown rice.
• CranberriesCranberries are tart, low-sugar berries packed with vitamin C and fiber, and a natural compound that keeps bad bacteria from clinging to your bladder.
• Cranberry Juice DrinkThe UTI evidence is thinner than the marketing, and this is mostly added sugar anyway.
• CroissantTwelve grams of saturated fat per hundred — more than any other bread product here, by a distance.
• CrumpetLow in fat, low in sugar, and 860 mg of sodium per hundred grams.
• CucumberMostly water by weight — which is exactly the point of it.
• Cumin SeedThe table says cumin is loaded with iron. A teaspoon of it is not — read the serving size first.
• CumquatA citrus small enough to eat whole, peel included — and the peel is the sweet part.
• CurrantFresh currants are a berry. Dried currants are tiny grapes. They are different plants that happen to share a name.
• Curry PowderFifty-three per cent fibre and 25 mg of vitamin E. In teaspoons.
• Custard AppleCustard apple's sweet, creamy pulp is packed with vitamin C and potassium — just don't eat the seeds or skin, which contain a toxin.
• Daikon RadishDaikon is a crunchy, watery radish that's low in calories but surprisingly high in vitamin C, and its natural enzymes may give your stomach a small hand with starchy food.
• Damper (Bush Bread)A simple, plain bread that still delivers real folate, since Australian bread flour is required to have it added.
• Dark ChocolateThe higher the cacao percentage, generally the more good compounds and the less sugar.
• DateVery sweet, and genuinely sweet on its own — nothing is added. The fibre and potassium are what separate it from a sweet.
• DatesDates taste like candy, but their fiber helps keep blood sugar from spiking as fast as you'd expect.
• Davidson PlumA very tart native plum, rich in vitamin C and deep purple plant pigments.
• Decaffeinated CoffeeNot caffeine-free, and not stripped of everything else either.
• Diet ColaNot the villain it is painted as. Also not the win it is sold as.
• DillA soft, feathery herb traditionally used to calm an upset stomach — eaten in small amounts, so its nutrient numbers are mostly theoretical.
• DipA high-fat food where the fat is the good part — the salt is the part worth watching.
• Doughnut (Iced)The only thing in this batch with more than a gram of trans fat per hundred.
• Dragon FruitDragon fruit is a juicy, mildly sweet fruit that gives you vitamin C and fiber, and its red color can turn your pee or poop pink for a day -- that's totally normal.
• DressingDressing is mostly oil and salt, and the oil is the part that helps you absorb what is in the salad.
• Dried Apricots1,428 mg of potassium per hundred — the highest of any fruit in the library.
• Drinking ChocolateThree-quarters sugar by weight. The cocoa is the minority ingredient.
• DurianDurian is a big, spiky, super creamy tropical fruit loaded with energy, potassium, and vitamin C — but it really doesn't mix well with alcohol.
• EdamameYoung soybeans — a rare plant food with complete protein, from tofu’s source crop.
• EggplantEggplant isn't a dangerous nightshade -- it's a low-calorie veggie with real fiber, and its purple skin holds most of the good stuff.
• Einkorn WheatEinkorn is one of the oldest kinds of wheat, barely changed since ancient farmers first grew it. It has more protein than regular wheat, but don't be fooled — it still has gluten.
• EndiveEndive is a bitter, crunchy leaf that's surprisingly loaded with vitamin K and folate for almost no calories.
• Energy DrinkA coffee’s worth of caffeine, a cola’s worth of sugar, and B vitamins for show.
• English MuffinThe lowest-calorie thing on this shelf, and quietly the highest in calcium.
• EspressoReads as the most caffeinated coffee there is. Per cup, it usually isn’t.
• Extruded SnackLight, salty and gone in seconds — which is exactly the design, and exactly why a bag disappears so easily.
• Ezekiel BreadThis is bread made from sprouted grains and beans mixed together, which gives it more protein and fiber than regular bread.
• FarroAn ancient wheat with a chewier texture and more fibre than modern wheat products.
• FatIt came from plants, but it is hard at room temperature, and that is what matters.
• Fava BeansFava beans are a hearty bean packed with protein, iron, and folate -- but if you carry a certain genetic trait, eating them can make you seriously sick.
• FeijoaA small, fragrant fruit that’s low in calories but a decent source of vitamin C and fibre.
• FennelCrunchy raw fennel is a low-calorie veggie that can calm an upset stomach while giving you vitamin C and potassium.
• Fenugreek SeedA spice, not a food. The impressive iron and fibre numbers shrink to almost nothing at the teaspoon you actually use.
• FigsOne of the few fruits with a real calcium contribution, especially dried.
• FlaxseedA plant omega-3 source your body converts far less efficiently than fish oil.
• Flaxseed OilFlaxseed oil is a plant-based way to get omega-3 fat, but your body only turns a small part of it into the "active" omega-3s found in fish oil.
• FlourFlours differ by how much protein they hold and whether the bran is still in them.
• FreekehFreekeh is just wheat picked early and roasted over fire — and that head start gives it more fiber and gut-friendly carbs than regular ripe wheat.
• Fresh GingerGinger really can calm an upset stomach -- but the dose in most studies is stronger and more exact than what's in a cup of tea.
• Fresh Turmeric RootThe bright-yellow root is packed with a compound called curcumin, but your body barely absorbs it unless you eat it with fat and black pepper.
• Fruit DrinkA fruit drink is not a fruit juice, and neither one is fruit.
• Fruit SaladDrain it and you pour away some of the vitamin C; keep the juice and you keep the sugar too.
• Garlic (Fresh)The compound behind its reputation only forms once you crush or chop it.
• GingerA spice, not a food — read the table knowing a teaspoon weighs under two grams.
• Ginger BeerThe most sugary thing in the soft drink fridge, sold on a health-food association.
• GlucoseNot the same thing as the glucose in your blood test. This is a thick starch syrup used to stop sweets going grainy.
• GlutenThe stretchy protein in wheat, sold on its own. Harmless for most people, genuinely dangerous for those with coeliac disease.
• Gluten-Free BreadBread made without wheat, rye, or barley — useful for anyone who cannot tolerate gluten, though it tends to run higher in salt.
• Goji BerryA dried fruit that behaves like other dried fruits, whatever the packet says.
• Golden SyrupRefinery by-product, rebranded as heritage. Seventy-five grams of sugar per hundred.
• GooseberryThis tangy little berry packs a real vitamin C punch — and it's not the same fruit as the "Indian gooseberry" people sometimes confuse it with.
• GrapeThe different colours are mostly a difference in pigment, not in sugar.
• GrapefruitGrapefruit is packed with vitamin C, but it can also make certain medicines act stronger than they should.
• GrapesContains resveratrol — the same compound sold as a standalone supplement.
• Grapeseed OilSixty-four per cent polyunsaturated — the highest here — and almost no vitamin E to protect it.
• GravyAlmost no calories, almost no nutrients, and a great deal of salt.
• Gravy PowderMostly salt and thickened starch — the sodium figure is the whole story here.
• Great Northern BeansGreat Northern beans are a mild white bean packed with fiber and plant protein — filling, heart-friendly, and easy to cook once you know the soak-and-boil trick.
• Green BeansGreen beans are a crunchy veggie that gives you fiber, vitamin C, and a bone-friendly vitamin called K — just make sure they're cooked, not raw.
• Green LentilsGreen lentils are a small, cheap plant food loaded with iron and folate that digests slowly, so it keeps you full without spiking your blood sugar.
• Green PeasA legume eaten fresh like a vegetable, with surprisingly solid protein.
• Green TeaThe calm-alert combination is real. The fat burning is a rounding error.
• Ground CardamomA fragrant seed spice traditionally chewed or brewed to settle the stomach after a meal.
• Ground ChilliThe most nutrient-dense thing in this batch, in the smallest serves.
• Ground CinnamonA warming spice with modest, inconsistent evidence for blood sugar, and a caution most people have never heard of.
• Ground ClovesA tiny dried flower bud that packs enough eugenol to be used in dental clinics, not just spice racks.
• Ground CuminA spice whose iron content looks spectacular on paper and arrives a teaspoon at a time.
• Ground NutmegA cozy baking spice that’s completely safe in normal amounts, but genuinely not something to eat by the spoonful.
• Ground TurmericThe spice behind curry’s color, best known for a compound your body has a hard time absorbing on its own.
• GuavaA single guava can give you more vitamin C than several oranges — seeds, skin, and all.
• Habanero PepperHabaneros are super spicy peppers packed with vitamin C — the burn you feel isn't your body being damaged, it's a nerve alarm going off.
• HamburgerA salad burger and a cheese-and-sauce burger are the same beef and the same bun with very different totals.
• HazelnutsHazelnuts pack heart-healthy fat and a big mineral boost, but they're calorie-dense, so a small handful goes a long way.
• Hemp SeedsHemp seeds are tiny, nutty seeds packed with healthy fats and protein — and no, they can't get you high.
• High-Fibre White BreadTwice the fibre of white bread, and it is not the same fibre wholemeal gives you.
• Honeydew MelonHoneydew is basically nature's flavored water — light, hydrating, and still packed with real vitamin C and potassium.
• HummusBeans and sesame paste team up in hummus to give your body a fuller set of protein building blocks than either one gives alone.
• Ice ConfectionA water ice is basically frozen sugar water. A milk stick has cream in it, which changes almost everything.
• Iceberg LettuceIceberg lettuce isn't "just crunchy water" - it's mostly water, but that water comes packaged with real vitamin K.
• Instant CoffeeA genuine niacin source, and the coffee with the most acrylamide.
• Instant Cup SoupAlmost no food in it — but a serious share of your day’s sodium.
• Instant NoodlesDeep-fried before they were dried, which is where 19 g of fat per hundred comes from.
• JackfruitJackfruit tastes sweet and fruity and shreds like pulled meat, but it's really a fiber-and-potassium fruit, not a protein powerhouse.
• JalapeñoA jalapeño's fire is a trick your nerves fall for, not an injury — and it definitely won't give you an ulcer.
• JamThe sugar in jam is not just for sweetness — it is doing the setting and the preserving.
• JicamaJicama is a crunchy, juicy root that's low in calories but high in fiber and vitamin C — just make sure you peel off the skin, since only the inside root is safe to eat.
• JuiceA glass of fruit juice and a squeeze of lime are not the same kind of food, even though both are juice.
• KaleA calcium source your body genuinely absorbs, unlike spinach’s.
• Kamut (Khorasan Wheat)Kamut is just a big, protein-rich ancient wheat — not a magical grain from a pharaoh's tomb.
• Kidney BeansThe bean where cooking it properly genuinely matters for safety, not just texture.
• KiwiMore vitamin C than an orange, plus a genuine digestive enzyme.
• KiwifruitGold kiwifruit is sweeter with more vitamin C; green is sharper with more fibre and more of the enzyme that helps digest protein.
• KohlrabiKohlrabi is a crunchy stem (not a root) loaded with vitamin C, and it's one cabbage-family veggie that isn't a vitamin-K bomb.
• KombuchaLive cultures, yes. A probiotic in the sense the word actually means, no.
• KumquatKumquats are eaten whole — sweet peel and tart middle together — so you get fiber and vitamin C in one bite-sized package.
• LamingtonA classic Australian sponge cake — enjoyable as an occasional treat, not as a source of much nutrition.
• LecithinIt is the ingredient that stops oil and water separating — sold in a tub as though it were a breakfast cereal.
• LeeksA milder relative of onion and garlic, with its own prebiotic fibre.
• Legume PastaNearly three times the protein of white pasta and three times the fibre.
• LemonA real vitamin C source — though the lemon water detox claims go well past the evidence.
• Lemon JuiceToo small a serve to feed you. Big enough to change what your gut absorbs.
• Lemon PeelMost of a lemon's fibre and aroma is in the skin, not the juice.
• LemonadeThe soft drink people order when they’re avoiding soft drink.
• LentilsA plant iron source without the oxalates that block spinach’s iron.
• LettuceNearly all water — but the darker the leaf, the more it actually gives you.
• Lima BeansLima beans are a filling, fiber-rich bean that helps keep blood sugar steady — just make sure they're fully cooked, not raw.
• LimeA lime won't make your body "alkaline" or flush out toxins — but it is a real, small source of vitamin C.
• LiquoriceBlack liquorice contains a compound that can genuinely raise blood pressure. The coloured allsorts mostly do not.
• LollyAn honest treat. The differences between types are about texture and how long they linger, not nutrition.
• LonganLongan is a sweet, juicy little fruit that packs a big dose of vitamin C into very few calories.
• LoquatA small orange fruit that ripens in early spring, when almost nothing else does.
• Lotus RootThis crunchy root looks like plain starch but it's actually packed with vitamin C and potassium -- just make sure it's always cooked, never raw.
• LupinA bean that is mostly fibre and protein, with hardly any starch in it.
• Lupin BeansLupin beans are a super high-protein bean, but you can't eat them straight from the pod — they need a long soak to wash out bitter, unsafe compounds first.
• LycheeLychee is a sweet, juicy fruit packed with vitamin C — but eating a big bowl of them with an empty stomach is a real risk for young, malnourished kids.
• Macadamia NutsMacadamia nuts are rich in heart-friendly fat, but they're so dense your body takes its time breaking them down.
• Macadamia OilMacadamia oil is mostly heart-friendly fat, but it's not the vitamin E superstar the beauty ads make it out to be.
• MaizeCoarsely ground maize with the oily part taken out, so it stores well but has lost some of its nutrition.
• Mandarin OrangeMandarins are a sweet, easy-peel way to get most of a day's vitamin C, without needing a pill.
• MangoOne of the few fruits genuinely rich in both vitamin C and vitamin A.
• Maple SyrupSixty grams of sugar per hundred. The tree does not change that.
• Margarine (Polyunsaturated)A fifth of butter’s saturated fat, and one of the better vitamin D sources in the country.
• Margarine SpreadTwo things separate one tub from another: which oil it is made from, and how much water has been whipped into it.
• MarjoramA teaspoon is about a gram, so divide everything in the table by a hundred.
• MarmaladeJam with peel in it, which changes the taste and almost nothing else.
• Marmite (New Zealand)A thin scrape packs in more iron and B12 than most condiments ever will.
• MelonAll melons are mostly water. The colour of the flesh tells you what else is in there.
• MilletA naturally gluten-free ancient grain with a gentler blood sugar impact than white rice.
• Mineral WaterPlain mineral water is water with dissolved rock in it. The flavoured version is usually water with sugar in it.
• MintMore than a garnish — mint (specifically its oil) has real evidence behind it for calming an upset stomach.
• MirinA sweet rice seasoning that is about a quarter sugar, used a tablespoon at a time for shine and flavour.
• MisoMiso is fermented soybean paste that adds deep, salty-savory flavor along with gut-friendly bacteria and plant nutrients.
• Mixed BerryFrozen at harvest, which usually means more vitamin C left than in fresh berries a week off the plant.
• Mixed Dried FruitFruit with the water taken out, so everything in it — sugar included — is about four times as concentrated.
• Mixed Leafy GreensA mix of different leaves, and they are not the same leaf nutritionally.
• Mixed VegetablesFrozen mixed vegetables are picked and frozen fast, which is why they hold up better than they sound like they should.
• MuesliMuesli's chewy oats aren't just filling — regular whole-oat muesli can quietly help your cholesterol.
• MuffinAn English muffin is bread. A cafe muffin is cake. They share a name and almost nothing else.
• MulberryMulberries are a sweet-tart berry packed with vitamin C and a natural compound that can help slow sugar spikes after a meal.
• Multigrain BreadMore grains doesn't automatically mean more fiber -- read the ingredient list, not the bag.
• Mung BeansMung beans are small green beans that cook fast, are gentle on digestion once cooked, and are loaded with fiber, protein, and folate.
• MushroomsOne of the only foods that can still make vitamin D after being picked.
• MustardThe rare condiment where the flavour costs almost nothing.
• Mustard GreensMustard greens are peppery leafy greens that pack an outsized dose of vitamin K along with vitamin A, vitamin C, and plant compounds you won't get from lettuce.
• Mustard PowderGround mustard seed. It only turns hot when mixed with cold water, and only for a while.
• NaanThe enriched bread of the batch — fat, sugar and 630 mg of sodium.
• Napa CabbageNapa cabbage is a light, crunchy vegetable that gives you vitamin C for your immune system and vitamin K for strong bones — for almost no calories.
• Nashi Pear (Asian Pear)A crisp, juicy fruit that’s mostly water and a little fibre and natural sugar.
• NattoNatto is sticky fermented soybeans loaded with vitamin K2, a nutrient that helps your body put calcium into bones instead of blood vessels.
• Navy BeansNavy beans are a small white bean that packs in more fiber than almost any other food - but they have to be cooked the right way to be safe and easy on your stomach.
• NectarineThe peach-plum-cross story about nectarines isn't true — it's just a peach without the fuzz.
• NoodleRice, wheat, buckwheat or egg — which one it is matters more than the shape.
• Noodle SnackNearly a quarter of it is oil, and that oil is there to dry the noodles, not to flavour them.
• Nori (Dried Seaweed)2,200 mcg of iodine per hundred grams, against a daily upper limit of 1,100.
• Nutritional YeastA savoury powder that happens to be one of the densest B-vitamin foods there is.
• Oat BeverageWhether an oat milk is worth choosing comes down to whether calcium has been added to it.
• Oat BranOat bran's sticky fiber grabs onto cholesterol-related stuff in your gut and carries it out, so your liver has to pull more cholesterol out of your blood to keep up.
• Oat MilkThe step that makes it taste sweet is the step that removes the point of oats.
• OatsOne of the few foods with strong evidence for lowering cholesterol.
• OilAll cooking oils have nearly the same calories. What separates them is the type of fat and whether they survive a hot pan.
• OkraOkra is a slippery pod full of fiber and vitamins that can gently help steady blood sugar over time, but no vegetable "detoxes" your body overnight.
• OliveGreen or black is mostly about ripeness — the thing they all share is the salt from curing.
• Olive OilThe fat that helps you absorb the nutrients in everything else on the plate.
• OlivesOlives aren't a low-effort veggie snack — they're a fruit that's salt-cured, so a handful can carry as much sodium as a small bag of chips.
• OnionsA prebiotic fibre source that feeds gut bacteria much like an inulin supplement.
• OrangeA genuinely good vitamin C source, with fibre a pill does not give you.
• Orange JuiceReal vitamin C and folate, arriving with none of the fruit’s fibre.
• OreganoOne of the most concentrated antioxidant foods there is, per gram — but you use it a pinch at a time.
• Palm OilPalm oil is the world's most-used cooking oil, and whether it's "healthy" depends almost entirely on whether it's been refined.
• PancakeThe batter is mostly flour, egg and milk. The sugar comes from what you put on top.
• PapayaContains a digestive enzyme, plus one of the highest vitamin C counts of any fruit.
• PaprikaGround dried peppers, carrying a lot more color-giving antioxidant per gram than the fresh pepper it came from.
• ParsleyThe herb pushed to the side of your plate is quietly loaded with vitamin C and vitamin A.
• ParsnipParsnips look like pale carrots but pack more fiber and folate per bite than most root vegetables, and cooking them is completely safe.
• Passion FruitPassion fruit's tangy pulp packs a lot of vitamin C and fiber into a tiny fruit -- but the "it helps you sleep" idea actually comes from a different plant.
• Pasta (White, Boiled)Cooked and cooled, some of its starch stops behaving like starch.
• Pasta DishThe figures here are for a whole plate, not for the pasta or the sauce alone — which is why they look low.
• PasteThese are flavour bases, not foods. The numbers are per 100g, and a recipe uses a teaspoon.
• PastryThe difference between pastries is not the flour. It is the fat.
• PawpawA soft, mild tropical fruit with a lot of vitamin C for very few calories.
• PeaLeft on the plant to mature and dry, a pea turns into something closer to a lentil than to the green peas in the freezer.
• Pea ProteinPea protein gives your muscles almost everything they need to rebuild, straight from a humble split pea.
• PeachA solid source of vitamins A and C together, both tied to skin health.
• Peanut ButterPeanut butter is packed with plant fat and protein that keep you full for hours — it's not empty calories.
• Peanut OilThe stir-fry oil, and usually safe in peanut allergy — with one exception that matters.
• PeanutsTechnically a legume rather than a tree nut — which matters for allergies.
• PearOne of the higher-fibre fruits, most of it in a form that slows digestion.
• PecansPecans are crunchy little bundles of healthy fat and minerals that your body slowly breaks down for steady energy, not a quick sugar rush.
• PersimmonPersimmons are a sweet, vitamin-rich fall fruit -- but eating a lot of unripe ones on an empty stomach can actually cause a real stomach problem.
• PestoThirty-seven per cent fat, and most of it the kind worth eating.
• Pickled GherkinsTwenty-three grams of added sugar per hundred. In a pickle.
• Pigeon PeasPigeon peas are small but mighty: full of fiber, protein, and iron, and you don't have to eat them with rice at the exact same moment for the protein to "count."
• PikeletA mini pancake made from flour, egg, and milk — quick energy, not much else.
• Pikelet or PancakeThe sugar and the salt both arrive in the batter, before anything goes on top.
• Pine NutsPine nuts are tiny, buttery seeds packed with minerals — but don't count on them to melt away fat.
• PineappleContains bromelain — the same enzyme sold as a digestive supplement.
• Pinto BeansPinto beans are a cheap, filling food that's secretly packed with fiber, protein, and folate.
• PistachiosOne of the lower-calorie nuts, and unusually good for the eye pigments.
• Pita BreadPita is regular bread with a fun pocket -- the pocket is just trapped steam, and whether pita is "healthy" depends on whether it's whole wheat or white.
• Plain FlourThe refined default — and in many countries, quietly fortified.
• PlantainPlantains are a starchy cooking fruit — more like a potato than a sweet banana — that's rich in potassium and gut-friendly starch.
• PlumPrunes aren't just an old home remedy -- real science backs them up for keeping you regular and for helping keep bones strong.
• PluotPluots are a plum-apricot mix — but mostly plum — that pack vitamin C, potassium, and fiber into one juicy, low-calorie snack.
• Poblano PepperPoblano peppers are a mild, meaty green chile that bring real vitamin C and just a hint of heat without overwhelming a dish.
• Polenta (Cornmeal)Corn is filling and easy to grow, but eating it as your main food for too long, without other proteins, can leave your body short on a B vitamin called niacin.
• PomegranateOne of the most compound-dense fruits — much of it from the peel and pith.
• Popcorn (Air-Popped)A genuine whole grain snack, once you skip the butter and heavy oil.
• Poppy SeedsA tiny seed that’s surprisingly rich in calcium and fat, but the serving size keeps its real-world impact modest.
• PorridgeMade with water it is plain and modest. Made with milk it becomes a proper source of protein and calcium.
• PotatoMore potassium than a banana, and the cooking method decides everything else.
• Potato CrispsA third fat by weight — and genuinely hard to stop eating, by design.
• Potato Crisps or ChipsFrying swaps the potato's water for oil. That single swap is most of what you are eating.
• Potato StrawsA treat food where the cut, not the potato, decides how much oil ends up on your plate.
• Prickly PearA cactus fruit that’s mostly water and fiber, with a solid dose of vitamin C.
• PruneA dried plum with a real, well-tested effect on constipation — and a good reason not to eat the whole packet.
• PrunesOne of the few foods with trial evidence for constipation — and it beat the fibre supplement.
• PsylliumA fibre that turns to gel in water — which is why it needs plenty of it.
• PumpkinPumpkin's bright orange color is basically edible sunshine for your eyes and immune system.
• Pumpkin SeedsOne of the richest everyday food sources of zinc.
• Purple Yam (Ube)This vibrant purple tuber gets its color from real antioxidant plant pigments, not food dye, but it's not the same food as purple sweet potato.
• QuandongA tart wild peach-like fruit, high in vitamin C and folate.
• QuinceQuince looks like a bumpy pear, but you almost always have to cook it before eating — raw, it's rock-hard and mouth-puckering.
• QuinoaA rare plant food that is genuinely a complete protein.
• RadicchioRadicchio is a bitter, ruby-red salad leaf that's surprisingly packed with vitamin K -- more per bite than almost any other lettuce-like green.
• RadishRadishes are mostly water and crunch, but that spicy bite is doing real work in your body.
• RaisinsSeventy-four grams of sugar per hundred, and it is all intrinsic to the grape.
• RambutanRambutan is a juicy, low-calorie fruit with a good hit of vitamin C -- just peel it, eat the white flesh, and skip the hairy skin and the seed.
• RaspberriesUnusually high in fibre for a fruit, and worth separating from the “raspberry ketone” pill sold under its name.
• Red CabbageRed cabbage is green cabbage with a superpower: the purple pigment that gives it color is also a strong antioxidant, and that same pigment changes color when it touches something acidic or basic.
• Red LentilsRed lentils are a cheap, fast-cooking way to get iron, fiber, and protein — pair them with vitamin C to help your body absorb more of the iron.
• RedcurrantRedcurrants are a sour, ruby-red berry packed with vitamin C — and they're not the same as the dried "currants" you find in trail mix or muffins.
• RhubarbA very low-calorie, high-fiber stalk vegetable with a distinctly tart bite.
• Rice BeverageCloser to thin rice water than to milk — there is almost no protein in it.
• Rice Bran OilThe highest vitamin E of the plain oils, and more saturated fat than most people expect.
• Rice CakesRice cakes look like a light diet snack, but because they're basically pure puffed starch with almost no fiber, they can spike your blood sugar faster than candy does.
• Rice MilkThe thinnest of the plant milks, and the one with an age restriction.
• Rice NoodlesAlmost nothing but starch — and almost nothing else either, which is the point.
• Rice Paper WrapperA thin sheet of rice and tapioca starch. It adds almost nothing to a roll except the ability to hold it together.
• Roasted Soy NutsA crunchy handful of soy nuts packs more protein than most nuts, for a fraction of the fat.
• RocketRocket is in the mustard family, not the lettuce family, and that is where the peppery taste comes from.
• Romaine LettuceRomaine is mostly water and crunch, but it packs a real dose of vitamin K and vitamin A into very few calories.
• RosemaryThe herb behind "rosemary for remembrance" — genuinely rich in antioxidants, though the memory claim is weaker than the folklore suggests.
• RyeRye holds far more fibre than wheat, and holds onto water in a way that keeps you full.
• Rye BreadIts dense fibre gives it a notably gentler blood sugar impact than wheat bread.
• Safflower OilSafflower oil comes in two very different types, so "is it healthy" depends on which bottle you actually bought.
• SaffronThe most expensive spice in the world, used a pinch at a time, so its nutrition table is a curiosity rather than a plan.
• SageA herb, not a food. The impressive numbers on the table belong to 100g of dried leaf, and a generous pinch is about one gram.
• SagoAlmost pure starch. Dry sago is dense; cooked sago is mostly the water it swallowed.
• Salad Dressing (French or Italian)The fat is the part doing you a favour. It’s the fat-free version that costs you.
• Salt Substitute (Potassium Chloride)One of the few dietary swaps with a hard trial outcome behind it — and a real contraindication.
• SauceSauces split into two kinds: a spoonful on the side, and half the meal poured from a jar.
• Scallions (Green Onions)A few tablespoons of chopped scallions can give you more vitamin K than you'd expect from a simple garnish.
• SconeThe saltiest thing in the bakery — 968 mg per hundred, in something served with jam.
• Seaweed (Boiled)Fifty-four calories, and still twice a day’s iodine in a hundred grams.
• SeedGrind them, or you get very little. The whole seed's shell survives digestion more or less intact.
• SeitanSeitan is basically wheat's protein, isolated and cooked into a chewy, meat-like food - high in protein, but it's missing enough of one building block to be a "complete" protein on its own.
• SemolinaSemolina is coarse durum wheat flour -- the gritty stuff pasta is made from -- and its tough, dense texture means your body breaks it down more slowly than regular flour, so it doesn't spike blood sugar as fast.
• Sesame OilSesame oil isn't magic, but it's a genuinely different kind of fat thanks to plant compounds most cooking oils don't have.
• Sesame SeedsTiny seeds, big mineral punch — just don't count on all that calcium actually getting into your bones.
• ShallotsShallots taste like a cross between onion and garlic, and that sharp flavor comes with a real dose of antioxidants.
• Silverbeet (Swiss Chard)A leafy green packed with vitamin A, plus iron and folate.
• SliceA proper treat. What changes between slices is mostly the fat and where it comes from.
• SnackThey feel light because they are mostly air, not because there is less in them.
• Snack Ball"No added sugar" is true here and slightly beside the point — the dates bring the sugar with them.
• Snap PeasA handful of snap peas can cover your whole day's vitamin C, pod and all.
• Snow PeasSnow peas are the crunchy whole pod you eat, pea and all -- low calorie, high in vitamin C, and good for digestion.
• Soba NoodlesSoba noodles give you steady energy from buckwheat carbs and a plant-protein boost -- but check the label, because most soba also has wheat mixed in.
• Soft DrinkThe whole range splits in two: sweetened with sugar, or sweetened with something that carries no kilojoules.
• SorghumA gluten-free whole grain that keeps its bran, because there is no easy way to take it off.
• SoupInstant soups differ mostly in thickener and salt, not in nourishment.
• Sourdough BreadSourdough's long, slow rise makes its minerals easier for your body to absorb than regular bread -- but it's still not gluten-free.
• Soy BeverageThe thing worth checking on the carton is whether calcium has been added. Unfortified soy milk has almost none.
• Soy MilkSoy milk is a plant milk with real protein, close to what you'd get from cow's milk, plus calcium and vitamin D when it's fortified.
• Soy SauceThe saltiest thing in most kitchens — and a tablespoon is half a day’s sodium.
• Soybeans (Dry)Soybeans pack complete protein like meat, plus special plant compounds — and no, eating them won't mess with your hormones.
• Spaghetti SquashSpaghetti squash turns into noodle-like strands when you cook it, and it's mostly water -- so you get a big, filling plate for very few calories.
• SpeltAn ancient grain often marketed as gluten-free — it is not, and treating it that way can be genuinely risky.
• SpinachThe Popeye story about spinach and iron is not quite true.
• Spirits (40% ABV)The purest form of the thing itself: alcohol, water, and essentially nothing else.
• Split PeasOne of the highest fibre-to-calorie foods around, and it skips the overnight soak most dried beans need.
• SpreadYeast spreads and chocolate spreads sit side by side and have almost nothing in common.
• Spring RollA fried pastry wrapper around a mostly vegetable filling — the frying is what changes the numbers.
• SproutSprouting turns a dry seed into a small fresh vegetable, and the conditions that do it also suit bacteria.
• SquashA summer squash, picked young — which is why it is watery and mild rather than sweet and starchy like a pumpkin.
• Star FruitStar fruit is a juicy, star-shaped snack packed with vitamin C, but people with kidney problems should never eat it.
• StarchNot a flour. Starch is the one part of the plant left after everything else is washed away.
• StockA stock cube is mostly salt, and the numbers only make sense once you dilute it.
• StrawberriesA genuinely strong vitamin C source people do not associate with berries.
• SugarRaw, brown and white sugar are the same thing with different amounts of molasses on the outside.
• SultanaA sultana is a grape with the water taken out, which concentrates everything else about fourfold.
• Sunflower OilSunflower oil is one of the richest food sources of vitamin E, but not all bottles labeled "sunflower oil" are the same fat.
• Sunflower SeedsSunflower seeds are a crunchy snack loaded with vitamin E, healthy fat, and minerals — just skip the shells and keep portions modest.
• SwedeA mild, low-calorie root vegetable that's a genuine vitamin C source, related to cabbage more than to potatoes.
• Sweet CherriesThe sleep research used tart cherry juice, not these. Worth knowing before you buy a punnet.
• Sweet PotatoCooking it, and adding a little fat, both genuinely improve what you absorb.
• SweetcornA vegetable that is really a grain, and one of the few good sources of the pigment that concentrates in the back of the eye.
• Swiss ChardOne cup of cooked Swiss chard packs a huge dose of vitamin K — great for most people, but something to watch closely if you take blood thinners like warfarin.
• SyrupSugar made from grain starch instead of cane. It sounds gentler than it is.
• Table Salt (Iodised)The single biggest sodium source in most diets — and, iodised, a public-health success.
• Taco SeasoningA spice mix that is mostly salt and sugar, sold as spice.
• Taco Seasoning MixEvery number here looks extreme until you remember a sachet is 30 grams shared between four people.
• Taco ShellCorn tortilla plus deep frying — the frying is most of what shows up on the label.
• TahiniTahini is sesame seeds ground into a creamy paste — a good source of calcium, copper, and healthy fats, but your body only absorbs part of that calcium, and sesame itself can trigger allergies.
• TamarilloAn egg-shaped fruit related to the tomato, rich in vitamin A and fibre.
• TamarindTamarind is a sour-sweet fruit pulp that's surprisingly rich in fiber and minerals — but it can make some pain relievers hit harder than usual.
• TangeloPeels like a mandarin, tastes like a tart orange, and carries a bit of grapefruit in its family tree.
• TangerineTangerines are a sweet, easy-peel way to get a big dose of vitamin C plus a special orange pigment your body can turn into vitamin A.
• Tangerine or TangorThe easy-peeling citrus. What changes across the group is sweetness, seeds, and how easily the skin comes away.
• TapiocaAlmost pure starch from a root vegetable. It is there for texture and energy, not nutrition.
• TaroTaro is a starchy root that's totally safe and nutritious once cooked, but eating it raw can burn your mouth and throat.
• TartThe custard is basically baked milk and egg; the pastry around it is where the fat and salt are.
• Tart CherriesOne of the few foods that naturally contains measurable melatonin.
• TeffTeff is a tiny, gluten-free grain that's genuinely rich in iron and calcium -- but eating it alone isn't as good at raising iron levels as meat or a supplement would be.
• TempehTempeh is fermented soybeans pressed into a firm, nutty cake -- fermentation makes its protein and minerals easier for your body to use than plain soybeans.
• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)TVP is dried soy chunks that turn hearty and meaty once you soak them — cheap, high in protein, and not the "hormone bomb" people worry about.
• Textured Vegetable Protein Soy GranulesThe packet says over half protein. That is the dry granule; soaking roughly triples its weight and thirds the number.
• ThymeA herb used a pinch at a time, so its impressive-looking nutrient numbers barely apply to how you actually eat it.
• Tim TamA genuine treat — worth enjoying as one, not mistaking for something more.
• Toasted Muesli (Granola)The word toasted means fried in oil and sugar. That is what the toasting is.
• TofuA plant protein whose calcium content depends entirely on how it was made.
• TomatilloTomatillos are a tangy, low-calorie veggie that gives you a solid dose of vitamin C without much sugar or fat.
• Tomato PasteThe one thing on this shelf that is concentrated nutrition rather than concentrated salt.
• Tomato Sauce (Ketchup)A quarter sugar by weight, and one of the better lycopene sources you will eat.
• TomatoesOne of the few foods where cooking increases what you get from it.
• Tonic WaterAs sugary as lemonade, and the only mixer containing an actual drug.
• Tortilla Wrap (White)A wrap is not the lighter option — it is denser bread with more salt.
• Treacle (Molasses)The one sweetener whose mineral content is genuinely worth mentioning. It is still 69% sugar.
• Treacle or MolassesWhat is left over when sugar is refined out of cane, minerals included.
• TriticaleTriticale is a man-made grain that's part wheat, part rye, giving it a bit more protein, fiber, and a key amino acid than regular wheat.
• Turkish BreadSame fortification, more salt, and a piece is rarely 100 g.
• TurnipTurnips are a low-calorie root packed with vitamin C, and their leafy tops are even more nutritious than the root itself.
• Urad Dal (Black Gram)Urad dal is a small black bean packed with plant protein, iron, and folate — but you have to cook it well to unlock the good stuff.
• UV-Exposed MushroomsMore vitamin D than salmon, from a fungus that made it out of sunlight.
• Vanilla Bean ExtractReal extract and imitation essence taste different, but neither adds anything nutritionally at the amounts used.
• Vanilla EssenceNutritionally nothing, and it makes food taste sweeter without any sugar.
• Vegan Hard CheeseNought point nine grams of protein per hundred. It is coconut oil and starch shaped like cheese.
• VegemiteA little goes a long way, both for the B vitamins and the salt.
• Vegetable Crisps or ChipsThey are vegetables the way hot chips are vegetables: the frying oil is most of what you are eating.
• Vegetable JuiceThe one juice that isn’t a sugar problem. It’s a salt one instead.
• Vegetable Oil (Blended)The label tells you nothing about what is in the bottle.
• Vine LeafA dark leafy green, packed in enough salt to change the answer entirely.
• Vinegar (White & Cider)Sixteen calories per hundred grams, and a small real effect on blood sugar.
• Walnut ButterWalnut butter's fat is mostly the good, unsaturated kind, and it's the only nut butter with a real dose of plant omega-3s.
• Walnut OilWalnut oil is a plant-based source of omega-3 fat, but your body only turns a little of it into the same omega-3s found in fish.
• WalnutsThe best plant omega-3 source — though a different type from fish.
• WaterTap, bottled and sparkling hydrate identically. What differs is fluoride, sodium and price.
• Water ChestnutA water chestnut is a crunchy underwater plant stem, not a nut, and it stays crunchy even after you cook it.
• WatercressWatercress is a peppery little green that punches way above its weight -- basically a multivitamin with crunch.
• WatermelonThe original natural source of citrulline — the same compound in the supplements.
• Wattleseed (Ground)A roasted, ground native seed used a spoonful at a time as a nutty, coffee-like flavouring.
• Wax JambuBell-shaped, waxy-skinned and about ninety per cent water — crisp and refreshing rather than sweet.
• Weet-BixA high-fibre, low-sugar way to start the day, especially compared with most boxed cereals.
• WheatWhite flour is wheat with the outer layer and the seed's embryo taken out. That is the whole difference.
• Wheat Bran (Raw)Forty-two grams of fibre per hundred — the highest figure in the library.
• Wheat GermThe embryo of the wheat seed — small, oily, and the richest part of the grain in vitamins and minerals.
• Wheat NoodlesNutritionally pasta by another name — with more sodium than you would guess.
• White BreadA quarter of a day’s folate and a third of your iodine, by law rather than by nature.
• White RiceWhite rice is a fast, easy source of energy, but most of its fiber and vitamins are polished away -- unless it's "enriched," where a few get added back.
• Whole Grain PastaWhole grain pasta keeps the wheat kernel's outer bran and inner germ, so your body digests it more slowly and pulls out more fiber and minerals than it would from white pasta.
• Whole Wheat BreadThe fibre is what actually separates it from white bread — not the colour.
• Wild RiceWild rice isn't really rice — it's a grass seed with more protein and fiber than regular rice, and it's gentler on blood sugar too.
• WineMost of the energy in any wine is the alcohol itself, not the sugar.
• YamWhat you call a yam is probably a sweet potato — true yams are a different, starchy root that must be cooked to be safe.
• YeastExtraordinary nutrition per 100g, and almost nobody eats anything close to 100g of it.
• Yuba (Tofu Skin)Yuba is the skin that forms on hot soy milk — dried and eaten, it's one of the most protein-packed plant foods around.
• ZucchiniMild and mostly water, but a real source of potassium and gut-friendly fibre.

Depends on the product

These are not excluded and not included: the answer belongs to a certificate, a refining method or a production line, and the library will not guess it for you.

• BassaLean, mild and inexpensive — a white fish that gives you protein rather than omega-3.
• Beer (Full Strength)Mostly water, alcohol, and calories your body prioritises burning.
• Brown SugarWhite sugar with a film of molasses on it. That is the entire difference.
• CamelRed meat, but leaner than beef — which changes how you have to cook it.
• ChestnutRoasted chestnuts taste more like a starchy vegetable than a typical nut — because that’s basically what they are, nutrition-wise.
• FrankfurtCloser to a paste set in a skin than to a piece of meat — and the salt is the number to watch.
• Hot DogA processed sausage in a white roll. The salt is the number worth knowing.
• Meat AlternativeWhat these are made from matters more than the fact they replace meat.
• Meatball or RissoleTwo entries, raw and cooked, but the useful fact is what sits alongside the beef: breadcrumb, fat and a great deal of salt.
• MullowayWhite fish, but not the omega-3-free kind people assume white fish to be.
• NutAlmost all of them are high in fat — but chestnuts are starchy, and peanuts are not really nuts at all.
• PieThe filling gets the name, but the pastry sets most of the numbers.
• Protein PowderWhey is protein taken out of milk; hemp powder is ground seed with most of the oil removed. The label word to read is the source.
• Red WineThe heart-health story was real research. It did not survive better methods.
• Sausages VegetablesRead the name in the other order: this is a vegetable stew with some sausage in it.
• SpamCured, canned pork. It keeps for years because of the salt and the nitrite, and both of those are the nutritional story.
• SpratA small fish you eat whole. The bones are the point.
• Vegetarian Sausage (Fortified)Same shape, no nitrite, an eighth of the saturated fat — and the B12 was put back.
• White SugarPure sucrose. No micronutrients at all — this is the reference point.
• White WineRed wine’s polyphenol story doesn’t apply here. The alcohol does.

Recipes

• Air-Popped PopcornA wholegrain that comes in bowls the size of your head, for about a hundred calories.
• Apple with Almond ButterTwo ingredients, no real recipe needed — but the pairing is deliberate.
• Avocado on RyeA smaller, denser answer to avocado toast, on bread that actually holds it up.
• Baba GanoushAubergine burnt until the skin collapses, which is where all the smoke in it comes from.
• Baked Apple ChipsTwo hours in a low oven with nothing added at all, and they come out sweet enough to be suspicious.
• Black Bean Rice BowlA vegetarian bowl with enough protein that you won’t notice there’s no meat.
• Celery with Peanut ButterThe childhood snack that turns out to have been right all along.
• Chickpea & Spinach StewTwo tins and a bag of spinach, and dinner is twenty-five minutes away.
• Chocolate-Dipped StrawberriesThe strawberries must be bone dry. A drop of water and the chocolate seizes into a grainy mess.
• Coconut & Date BitesThree ingredients into a food processor, rolled into balls, and they keep two weeks.
• Dark Chocolate Energy BitesNo-bake bites for when you want something sweet without reaching for candy.
• Dried Apricots & AlmondsThe snack to keep in a bag, a drawer and a glovebox.
• FattoushA Levantine salad invented to use up stale bread, which is still the best reason to make it.
• Frozen Banana BitesA freezer full of these ends the ice cream question permanently.
• Frozen Banana Ice CreamFrozen banana, blended. There is no second ingredient and it still comes out like soft serve.
• Frozen GrapesThe single laziest thing in this library, and genuinely better than the unfrozen version.
• Ful MedamesEgypt’s national breakfast: mashed fava beans, lemon and oil. Cheap, filling, and about 15g of fibre a serving.
• GazpachoCold soup, which sounds like a punishment until the first genuinely hot day of the year.
• Guacamole with Corn ChipsMash it with a fork. A blender makes it into paint.
• HariraThe Moroccan soup eaten to break the fast in Ramadan, built to refill someone who has not eaten all day.
• Heart-Healthy Trail MixA portable, no-cook snack that keeps in a bag for days.
• Hummus with Carrots & CucumberA dip-and-crunch snack that’s mostly vegetables.
• Instant Miso SoupUnder 50 calories, mostly water, and it stops the 4pm biscuit more reliably than anything else here.
• Kale ChipsThe trick is drying the leaves properly. Wet kale steams in the oven and never once goes crisp.
• MinestroneThe soup invented to use up whatever the week left behind.
• Miso Soup with TofuEight minutes, four ingredients, and never let it boil.
• MuhammaraA Syrian dip of roasted peppers and walnuts that deserves to be as well known as hummus.
• Nori Snack SheetsAlmost no calories, a lot of iodine, and gone in about ninety seconds.
• PanzanellaThe other great stale-bread salad, and the one that depends entirely on the tomatoes being good.
• Peanut Butter & Banana ToastThe breakfast you already know how to make, worth doing properly.
• Pepper Strips with HummusPeppers hold dip better than any cracker, and bring their own vitamin C.
• Pistachios in the ShellThe shells are the feature. Having to open each one slows you down enough to notice you are full.
• Quinoa TabboulehA herb salad with a little grain in it, not a grain salad with a little herb.
• RatatouilleEvery vegetable cooked separately before they meet, which is the whole argument between a good one and a bad one.
• Red Lentil DahlLentils, spice and coconut milk — the cheapest hot meal in the library, and one of the best.
• RibollitaTuscan bean soup thickened with yesterday’s bread. The name means reboiled, and it is better the second time.
• Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter & BananaThe three-minute snack that heads off the 4pm trip to the vending machine.
• Roast Cauliflower & Tahini BowlCauliflower roasted hard enough to go brown at the edges, which is the only way it is worth eating.
• Roast Pumpkin SoupRoast the pumpkin rather than boiling it, and the soup tastes like twice the ingredients.
• Roast Veg Buddha BowlOne tray of roast vegetables, a grain, and a tahini sauce that ties the whole thing together.
• Roasted Broad BeansThe same idea as roasted chickpeas, with about half again as much protein.
• Roasted Pumpkin SeedsThe best part of carving a pumpkin, and available in a packet the rest of the year.
• Salted MacadamiasAn Australian native, and the fattiest nut on the shelf, which is exactly why a small handful is enough.
• Semolina UpmaA savoury South Indian breakfast that goes from cupboard to table in twenty minutes.
• Soba & Edamame BowlCold buckwheat noodles that are better on the second day than the first.
• Spiced CashewsTwelve minutes in the oven and a jar of nuts becomes something you have to hide.
• Stewed Apple with CinnamonKeeps five days in the fridge and turns yogurt, porridge or toast into something else entirely.
• Stuffed Dates with Almond ButterDessert-sweet, but the sugar arrives wrapped in fibre rather than on its own.
• Sweet Potato CrispsSoak the slices first. It washes off the surface starch, which is what makes them crisp instead of bend.
• Sweet Potato ToastSlices of sweet potato through the toaster instead of bread. Sounds like a gimmick, works completely.
• Tamari AlmondsThe soy evaporates and leaves a salty glaze welded onto the nut, which is far better than plain salted.
• Tempeh & Broccoli Rice BowlTempeh is fermented, which makes it both easier to digest and better tasting than tofu.
• Tofu Noodle Stir-FryGet the tofu properly crisp first and the rest is four minutes of tossing.
• Tofu Poke BowlThe poke bowl formula with tofu in the fish’s place, and no compromise on the toppings.
• Tofu Vegetable CurryA fully plant-based curry that still hits a real protein target.
• Turmeric Tofu ScrambleThe scramble you make when the eggs have run out and you still want the protein.
• Two Brazil NutsTwo is the serving. This is the rare food where eating more is actively worse for you.
• Vegetarian Bean ChiliA big batch that tastes better the next day — freezes well too.
• White Bean & Rosemary DipHummus made from what is actually in the cupboard, and lighter than the chickpea version.

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