Nutritional balance of foods

The Balanced Nutrition Index™ (BNI™) allows for the hierarchical organization of foods according to their overall nutritional balance. This is a feature much welcomed in order to bring some objectivity and clarity when juggling multiple variables at once, as it happens with nutrition.

It should come as no surprise that more basic foods (such as meat or milk) as well as manufactured foods heavily biased towards some nutrients (such as chocolates and sweets) score as being highly unbalanced. On the other hand, foods that are already integrated into meals (such as pizzas or ready-meals), which often combine most nutrients at once, are expected to be more balanced.

Illustration 1 is a quick comparative table of the average nutritional balance of foods. These foods are ranked according to their nutritional balance. Foods of the same category (eg, chocolate, milk, etc) are color coded, for easier identification.

A glance to illustration 1 also shows a (potential) "limitation" of the BNI™ technology, namely that it does not differentiate between types of unbalance. Thus, animal milk is highly unbalanced, as much as, for example, chocolate is. Whether milk is preferable to chocolate or vice-versa is something for dietitians to discuss and research, not for the BNI™ to decide.

Illustration 1: The nutritional balance of foods (averages)
unbalance	2011-2012
slight	8.70c, Oat breakfast cereals
moderate	16.91-p, Oatmilk
high	23.82s, Muesli breakfast cereals
~	26.77s, Low-fat soymilk
extreme	31.11c, Wheat breakfast cereals
~	38.13s, Ricemilk
~	44.98-fb, Potato crisps
~	48.17f, Standard soymilk
~	49.44f, Corn chips
~	52.32s, Fat-free soymilk
~	54.72s, Low-fat natural yogurt
~	55.71na, Wheat cravers
~	57.89na, Rice cravers
~	59.58s, Liquid breakfast
~	64.29s, Flavored low-fat soymilk
~	67.36-fb, Corn crisps
~	67.50s, Standard natural yogurt
~	68.14f, Mixed cereal crisps
~	71.12f, Potato chips
~	77.49sf, Creamy natural yogurt
~	78.35c, Corn breakfast cereals
~	80.03c, Rice breakfast cereals
~	80.34na, Wheat crisps
~	80.47-c, Standard moose milk
~	81.45sf, Standard sheep milk
~	82.73f, Non-sugar chocolates
~	83.56f, Standard bactrian camel milk
~	83.95f, Standard yak milk
~	85.54sf, Standard goat milk
~	86.93sf, Standard dromedary camel milk
~	88.42sf, Standard cow milk
~	90.26s, Fat-free flavored yogurt
~	91.56s, Low-fat flavored yogurt
~	92.68s, Semi-skimmed cow milk
~	92.75na, Tapioca crisps
~	92.77s, Standard mare milk
~	92.90s, Flavored standard soy yogurt
~	93.19sf, Standard llama milk
~	94.19s, Creamy flavored yogurt
~	95.20s, Standard flavored yogurt
~	96.19f, Standard reindeer milk
~	101.11s, Flavored semi-skimmed cow milk
~	104.13s, Flavored standard cow milk
~	104.33sf, Standard buffalo milk
~	115.60s, Standard donkey milk
~	121.81fb, Bran breakfast cereals
~	122.85s, Skimmed cow milk
~	125.09-c, Cheese
~	125.80s, Fat-free natural yogurt
~	126.94-fb, Typical chocolates
~	128.26s, Sugary chocolates
~	140.91na, Cured meats

Want to know more?

BNI-INE - Referents and averages list: This BNI page offers the latest information on food nutritional balance.
Wiki of Science - Balance Nutrition Index™ (BNI™): This Wiki of Science page offers more information about the BNI™ technology.