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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD

@drsarahballantyne.bsky.social

1.8K followers 120 following 1.7K posts

Founder of Nutrivore 🍏 | PhD Scientist On a mission to make nutrient dense eating simple, joyful & sustainable. Start Nutrivore90 our free challenge ⬇️ https://nutrivore.com/links/

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 23d

Nutrition is confusing, let’s fix that. I share how nutrients work, what foods they’re in & simple ways to eat for better health. No fad diets, just bite-size science backed info you can use. Say hi 👋🏻 I’d love to know where you’re from & drop a food and/or nutrient you’d love to know more about.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 3h

Rotating your produce helps you benefit from the diverse array of phytonutrients that different plants provide.

Try to include at least two different colors at every meal. Whether that’s red peppers with green spinach or bananas paired with blueberries.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 8h

Another fun strategy? Plan your meals around color themes. Think Red Monday with tomatoes and strawberries, or Green Wednesday with avocado and broccoli. It’s a playful way to build your plate with intention.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 8h

It’s easy to fall into a produce rut, but shaking things up can seriously upgrade your nutrition.

Try choosing a new variety each week: if you usually buy green kale, switch it up with purple cabbage or rainbow chard.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 10h

What’s your favorite red food?

What makes red foods special?
Red produce is rich in lycopene, anthocyanins, and beta-cryptoxanthin, which help reduce inflammation, protect your heart, and even support bone health!

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 1d

Edible-podded peas include snow & snap peas and differ from their counterpart sweet peas in that they are eaten fresh, pod & all. Edible-podded peas deliver at least 10% or more of the daily value of 9 different nutrients including vitamins, minerals & phytonutrients.

nutrivore.com/recipes/aspa...

Asparagus with Fresh Peas and Pine Nuts

Asparagus with Fresh Peas and Pine Nuts makes a lovely side dish particularly rich in ergothioneine and vitamin C.

nutrivore.com

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 1d

Blueberry Haiku

Little blue delight
Enjoy them by the handful
Plump, juicy, and tart

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 1d

Black eyed peas have a Nutrivore Score of 238.

Per ½ cup cooked they deliver 44% DV folate, 26% DV copper, 20% DV vitamin B1, 18% DV manganese, 13% DV iron, 6.5 g protein, 12% DV magnesium & 3.0 g fiber.

All parts of the plant are edible including leaves, pods, immature beans & the mature beans.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 1d

Vitamin C: Linked to reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and gout.

Polyphenols: Plays a huge role in protecting against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and osteoporosis.

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 1d

Top 4 nutrients in cauliflower!

Glucosinolates: Inversely associated with many forms of cancer.

Biotin: Supports healthy nail and hair growth, is important during pregnancy, and may benefit diabetics & reduce functional disabilities in people with MS.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 1d

Eating a variety of colorful plant foods is about maximizing the diverse health benefits of phytonutrients! Each color group delivers unique compounds that support different aspects of our well-being.

Want to learn more? Pick up a copy of my book Nutrivore or request a copy at your local library.

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 2d

The most nutrient-dense starchy foods on average are pulse-type legumes with an average Nutrivore Score of 358. Compare that to 290 for starchy root veggies and 189 for whole grains!

I love legume-based pasta as a way to add more legumes in meals that they don't seem to fit.

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 2d

What’s your favorite colorful fruit or veggie?

Are you eating the rainbow? We’ve all heard that fruits and veggies are good for us, but did you know that the color of your produce actually matters? Each color group contains unique phytonutrients that support different aspects of our health!

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 2d

Tomato Haiku

Nightshade family.
A vegetable or fruit?
Popular world-wide.

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 3d

This is why the Nutrivore approach doesn’t need a “cheat day” because nothing is off limits to begin with. You’re not stepping on or off a plan. You’re living in a way that honors your health and your happiness.

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 3d

Let’s be honest, most diets fail because they leave no room for real life.

But here’s the truth: When you give yourself permission to include quality-of-life foods and stop trying to be perfect, you don’t fall apart after one indulgent meal.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 3d

Enjoying chips and salsa? 😋 Insead of a pre-made salsa make your own fresh salsa (pico de gallo)

Nutrivore Scores
Tomatoes 983
Onion 380
Jalapeño 1113
Lime 344
Cilantro 2609 or parsley 5491

What’s your favorite chip & dip combo?

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 3d

Guacamole is a Mexican avocado-based dip now popular all over the world!

There are lots of store-bought options for guacamole but we don’t have any nutrition data on them.

On the flip side, it’s easy to make your own guacamole at home!

How do you like to eat your guacamole?

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 3d

Corn is a vegetable when harvested before it is mature and eaten fresh but is a grain when harvested fully mature and eaten dried.

Corn Nutrivore Scores
Fresh corn 202
Frozen 172
Canned 158
Popcorn 125
Cornmeal 101
Corn chips 99
Corn tortilla 94

What’s your favorite?

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 4d

October 4th is National Taco Day!

If you’re enjoying tacos today, here’s how to up the nutrients

#1 Swap tilapia for ground beef. (Nutrivore Score of 409 vs 197).
#2 Swap romaine lettuce for iceberg. (score of 2128 vs 773).
#3 Pile on the toppings for added flavor and nutrients!
#4 Enjoy!

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 4d

The accessories. The quality-of-life foods that bring satisfaction, joy, tradition, celebration, and yes, convenience.

This is where the 80/20 principle comes in. If about 80% of what you eat is nutrient-rich, there’s plenty of room for the other 20% to simply be enjoyable.

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 4d

Think of nutrient-dense foods as the foundation of your diet. That foundation is what fuels your body, meets your needs, and supports long-term health.

But what makes that foundation sustainable? …

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 5d

Vitamin A supports vision, immune health, thyroid function, skin, reproduction & growth from infancy onward. Too little harms health, but too much can be toxic, balance is key

And no, I'm not talking about supplements I'm talking about eating more vitamin A-rich foods

nutrivore.com/foods-high-i...

Foods High in Vitamin A

Most of us aren’t getting enough vitamin A from our diets. It may surprise you to learn that the top common food source of vitamin A per serving is liver, delivering an astounding 1189% DV, followed b...

nutrivore.com

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 5d

Pumpkins are extremely versatile!

Aside from the flesh, you can also eat pumpkin flowers, leaves, sprouts, and seeds, and even the skin is edible dehydrated and roasted into pumpkin crisps!

They are particularly rich in carotenoids, vitamin A, polyphenols, copper, vitamin C, and vitamin B2!

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 5d

Butternut squash delivers at least 10% or more of the daily value of 13 different nutrients including vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. It is a top 25 food source of vitamin A and carotenoids

What’s your favorite way to enjoy butternut squash? Here’s mine

nutrivore.com/recipes/mapl...

Maple-Braised Butternut Squash

Maple-Braised Butternut Squash has a subtle sweetness of maple syrup and the earthiness of fresh herbs.

nutrivore.com

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Sarah Ballantyne, PhD @drsarahballantyne.bsky.social · 5d

Despite their name, sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes nor are they yams, even though the terms often get used interchangeably

Per serving, they provide 105% DV of vitamin A. They are also rich in carotenoids, copper, vitamin B5, biotin, vitamin B6, manganese, fiber, polyphenols & potassium!

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