Vitamin K weighs in. (Vegetables).

It's been more than five years since we rated vegetables. The vegetables haven't changed ... but our ratings have.

The biggest shift: For the first time; our scores include vitamin K, an oft-forgotten nutrient. In the past, vitamin K was known only for its ability to help blood clot. Now researchers are beginning to think that we need it more for bones than for blood.

"The data suggest that vitamin K protects against hip fractures that are caused by osteoporosis," says Sarah Booth of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. But the latest recommendations--90 micrograms (mcg) a day for women and 120 mcg a day for men--are designed to protect blood, not bones.

"Roughly 100 micrograms a day is adequate to preserve coagulation," Booth explains. "But the vitamin K status of the bones deteriorates at 100 micrograms a day."

In two studies, those who consumed less than about 100 mcg a day had a higher risk of hip fracture than those who consumed at least 1150 or 250 mcg a day. So how much is enough?

"We know that bones are better off with 200 micrograms than with 100 micrograms," says Booth. "But we don't know whether an adequate intake is closer to 150 or 250 micrograms a day."

What is clear is that many Americans get too little vitamin K. Few multivitamins contain even the current Daily Value (80 mcg). Viactiv, a chewable calcium supplement with 40 mcg of vitamin K per chew, is one of the few supplements with any.

What's more, unlike other fat-soluble vitamins, the body doesn't store vitamin K for long.

"Our data suggests that people process vitamin K within 24 to 48 hours, so if you load up at the beginning of the week, don't expect to have much by Sunday," says Booth.

Vegetables are among the few foods that contain vitamin K. "It's part of photosynthesis, so anything green is going to have some," says Booth. One caution: If you take anti-clotting medicines like coumadin, check with your doctor to see if you should avoid vitamin-K-rich vegetables.

When it comes to ranking vegetables, vitamin K is clearly crucial. But it's just one part of the equation.

The Rules

Rating vegetables is a tricky business. There's no question that some are more nutrient-rich than others. But before you get caught up in the competition, remember these three rules:

1 All vegetables are good vegetables.

It's useful to pit one vegetable against another, but it's also important to pit vegetables against other foods. When you do, vegetables rule. They're low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. And nearly all are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, especially when you consider their low calorie cost.

2 Don't limit variety.

Broccoli may score high in our ratings, but if you have it for dinner every night, it will seem like a chore. Whether it's sandwiches, pasta, desserts, or any other food, the more variety, the more people eat. Use that role-of-thumb to get yourself to consume more vegetables. Serve not just one vegetable, but two or three, with dinner. People who eat a variety of vegetables are less likely to be overweight ... possibly because they're eating less of something else that's more fattening.

3 Don't misinterpret our scores.

Cooked spinach's score (926) may be nearly ten times higher than frozen peas' score (104), but that doesn't mean that spinach is ten times better. Nor does it mean that one serving of spinach is worth ten servings of peas.

We got our scores by figuring out what percent of a day's worth of eight nutrients a serving of each vegetable supplies. Then we added up the percentages to get a final score (see "Veggie vs. Veggie," p. 14).

But two nutrients--vitamin K and carotenoids--had a huge impact on the final scores because they're so plentiful in certain vegetables (like leafy greens). We didn't cap the influence of vitamin K or carotenoids on the final scores for two reasons: Unlike other vitamins, you can't easily get K and carotenoids from supplements, and both may protect against serious illness.

Vitamin K may prevent hip fractures, the leading cause of admission to nursing homes. And carotenoids may reduce the risk of cancer and eye disease. The carotenoid lycopene, for example, may protect against prostate cancer. Lutein may forestall macular degeneration and cataracts. And smokers who consume foods--not supplements--that are rich in alpha- or beta-carotene have a lower risk of lung cancer.

Of course, other nutrients also count, even if they don't boost the scores that much. You may need the 18 percent of a day's fiber in a serving of frozen peas, even though those 18 points don't make peas shine next to collards, which get 495 points from their vitamin K and 215 points from their carotenoids.

With those caveats in mind, here's how our vegetables scored.

Superstars: Above 150

Thanks to their vitamin K and carotenoids, leafy greens--Swiss chard, kale, spinach, and collards--run circles around the competition. But most are also impressive when it comes to calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamin C. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are in the same ballpark.

Deep-orange vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash are also right up there, thanks to their carotenoids. And they're not too shabby in the fiber, potassium, and vitamin C departments.

Asparagus, endive, and romaine lettuce get into the top category largely because of their vitamin K. And red peppers are the only vegetable we found with more than a full day's vitamin C (they've got twice as much as their nearest competitor--broccoli).

Good Guys: 50-150

Okay. So they're not superstars. But these veggies would sparkle next to non-vegetables. Most are decent sources of vitamin K and are brimming with vitamin C. Cauliflower, kohlrabi, and green pepper have about half a day's worth of C. Avocado, parsnips, and peas supply both fiber and folate. And a baked potato with skin trounces its skinless kin. (The skin supplies much of the fiber and iron.)

Last But Not Least: Below 50

These veggies are far from empty calories. Iceberg lettuce and celery boost your vitamin K stores, while turnips and radishes chip in a good dose of vitamin C. In fact, many have at least five percent of a day's worth of two or three different nutrients. Take yellow squash. It delivers at least five percent of a day's carotenoids, vitamin C, fiber, and vitamin K. Add them up and you've got a good reason to throw some on the grill. What's more, all the vegetables in our chart may harbor valuable phytochemicals that aren't reflected in our scoring system. Onions and garlic, for example, contain flavonoids and allium compounds. It's just too early to say whether they prevent cancer, heart disease, or anything else.

But even if a vegetable adds nothing but a tasty crunch to your salad or a rich flavor to your stir-fry, so what? Without eggplant we'd have no ratatouille. Without mushrooms we'd have no grilled portobellos. Without onions and garlic ... well, why even bother cooking?

The information for this article was compiled by Tamar Genger.

Veggie vs. Veggie

We came up with a score for each vegetable by adding up its percentage of the Daily Value (DV) for six nutrients plus carotenoids and fiber. (Calcium was part of the score, but levels were generally low, so we left it out of the chart.) There is no DV for carotenoids, so we set our own (5,000 micrograms).

For example, half a cup of cooked broccoli has 51 percent of our DV for carotenoids, plus 159 percent of the DV for vitamin K, 97 percent for vitamin C, 10 percent for folate (folic acid), 9 percent for fiber, 7 percent for potassium, and 4 percent each for calcium and iron. That gives it a score of 339 points.

KEY

A contains 100% or more of the
  Daily Value (DV)

B contains 20%-99% of the DV

C contains 10%-19% of the DV

D contains 5%-9% of the DV

Daily Values (DVs)

Carotenoids:   5,000 IU *
Vitamin C:          60 mg
Folate:           400 mcg
Iron:               18 mg
Potassium:       3,500 mg
Calcium:         1,000 mg
Fiber:           25 grams
Vitamin K:         80 mcg

* CSPI figure, based on available research.
There is no DV for carotenoids.

Note: Cooked collards, kale, okra, snow
peas, spinach, and Swiss chard contain
between 5 and 18 percent of a day's
worth of calcium.

Note: Scores for cooked vegetables are
generally higher than scores for raw
vegetables. That's because vegetables
typically shrink when cooked (more
cooked broccoli will fit into a half cup,
for example, than raw broccoli).

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Nutrient Data Laboratory
(www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/index.
html) and Sarah Booth (Tufts University).

Vegetable                   Score  Carotenoids  Vitamin C   Folate
(1/2 cup, unless noted) *

Swiss chard                 1,047      [B]         [B]
Kale                        1,014      [A]         [B]
Spinach                       926      [A]         [C]        [B]
Collard green, frozen         802      [A]         [B]        [C]
Brussels sprouts              424      [B]         [B]        [C]
Pumpkin, canned               359      [A]         [D]
Broccoli                      339      [B]         [B]        [D]
Sweet potato, baked,
 with skin (1)                303      [A]         [B]        [D]
Spinach, raw (1 cup)          287      [A]         [C]        [C]
Red pepper, raw (1/2)         261      [B]         [A]
Carrots                       230      [A]
Carrots, raw (l)              204      [A]         [D]
Endive, raw, chopped
 (1 cup)                      193      [D]         [D]        [C]
Butternut squash              176      [A]         [B]
Romaine lettuce,
 raw, shredded (1 cup)        174      [B]         [B]        [C]
Asparagus                     163      [D]         [C]        [B]
Broccoli florets, raw         160      [B]         [B]        [D]
Potato, baked, w/skin (1)     139                  [B]        [D]
Cabbage, shredded             135                  [B]
Boston or bibb lettuce,
 raw, shredded (1 cup)        134      [B]         [D]        [C]
Green pepper, raw (1/2)       109                  [B]
Red Cabbage, raw,
 shredded                     107                  [B]
Peas, frozen                  104      [B]         [C]        [C]
Okra                          102      [D]         [B]        [D]
Kohlrabi                       92                  [B]
Zucchini                       84      [B]         [D]
Snow peas, frozen              83                  [B]        [D]
Avocado, Haas (1/2)            82                  [C]        [C]
Cauliflower                    79                  [B]        [D]
Tomato, raw (1/2)              78      [B]         [C]
Acorn squash                   77      [C]         [C]
Potato, baked, no skin (1)     69                  [B]
Corn                           67      [B]         [D]        [D]
Green beans                    65      [C]         [C]        [D]
Cauliflower, raw               62                  [B]        [D]
Artichoke (1/2)                57                  [C]        [D]
Parsnips                       56                  [C]        [C]
Rutabaga                       50                  [B]
Iceberg lettuce, raw,
 chopped (1 cup)               45      [D]                    [D]
Yellow squash                  39      [D]         [D]
Celery, raw (1 stalk)          35
Beets, canned                  33                  [D]        [D]
Mushrooms                      33                  [D]
Onions                         33                  [D]
Turnips                        31                  [C]
Radishes, raw (1/4 cup)        19                  [C]
Cucumber, raw                  14
Eggplant                       14
Mushrooms, raw                 11
Alfalfa sprouts, raw            7
Garlic, raw (1 clove)           3

Vegetable                   Iron    Potassium     Fiber    Vitamin K
(1/2 cup, unless noted) *

Swiss chard                  [C]       [C]         [D]        [A]
Kale                                               [D]        [A]
Spinach                      [C]       [C]         [D]        [A]
Collard green, frozen        [D]       [D]         [D]        [A]
Brussels sprouts             [D]       [D]         [D]        [A]
Pumpkin, canned              [D]       [D]         [C]        [B]
Broccoli                               [D]         [D]        [A]
Sweet potato, baked,
 with skin (1)                         [C]         [C]
Spinach, raw (1 cup)                                          [A]
Red pepper, raw (1/2)
Carrots                                [D]         [C]        [C]
Carrots, raw (l)                       [D]         [D]        [C]
Endive, raw, chopped
 (1 cup)                                           [D]        [A]
Butternut squash                       [D]         [C]
Romaine lettuce,
 raw, shredded (1 cup)                                        [B]
Asparagus                                          [D]        [B]
Broccoli florets, raw                                         [B]
Potato, baked, w/skin (1)    [B]       [B]         [B]
Cabbage, shredded                                  [D]        [B]
Boston or bibb lettuce,
 raw, shredded (1 cup)                                        [B]
Green pepper, raw (1/2)                                       [D]
Red Cabbage, raw,
 shredded                                                     [B]
Peas, frozen                 [D]                   [C]        [B]
Okra                                   [D]         [D]        [B]
Kohlrabi                               [D]
Zucchini                               [D]         [D]        [D]
Snow peas, frozen            [C]                   [D]        [C]
Avocado, Haas (1/)           [D]       [C]         [C]        [C]
Cauliflower                                        [D]        [C]
Tomato, raw (1/2)
Acorn squash                 [D]       [C]         [C]
Potato, baked, no skin (1)             [C]         [D]
Corn                                   [D]         [D]
Green beans                            [D]         [D]        [C]
Cauliflower, raw                                   [D]
Artichoke (1/2)                        [D]         [C]        [C]
Parsnips                               [D]         [C]
Rutabaga                               [D]         [D]
Iceberg lettuce, raw,
 chopped (1 cup)                                              [B]
Yellow squash                                      [D]        [D]
Celery, raw (1 stalk)                                         [C]
Beets, canned                [D]                   [D]
Mushrooms                    [D]       [D]         [D]
Onions                                             [D]
Turnips                                            [D]
Radishes, raw (1/4 cup)
Cucumber, raw
Eggplant
Mushrooms, raw
Alfalfa sprouts, raw
Garlic, raw (1 clove)

* Vegetables are cooked, unless noted.