Super foods are those that are packed with nutrition. We know what most of them are but what we may not know is how do they compare to each other? We know that a Snickers bar, when held up next to an orange, would lose the nutrition war (dang!). But what about a strawberry next to a blueberry? Or wheat bread against rye bread?

Savvy shoppers know what they want. Nutrition savvy shoppers understand "why" they want it. The following comparisons are the result of several nutritional studies. Obviously, if you are allergic to the "winner", don't negate what comes in second. Compared to the Snickers bar, you will still be way ahead!

STRAWBERRIES vs. BLUEBERRIES

The winner: Blueberries

Both are health all-stars, but a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported that blueberries (particularly wild ones) showed the most antioxidant activity of all the fruits tested. "These antioxidants help keep your immune system strong," says Dulan, "and reduce muscle-tissue damage from exercise."

Healthy Choice: Mix blueberries into lean ground beef for burgers. The juicy fruit will help keep the meat moist.

CHICKEN BREAST vs. TURKEY BREAST

The winner: Turkey Breast

Both breast meats are free of saturated fat, but turkey has three additional grams of protein per three-ounce serving, plus more iron (which helps deliver oxygen to muscles) and selenium. A special enzyme found in turkey works as an antioxidant to protect cells from free radicals that may contribute to cancer and heart disease.

Healthy Choice: Always use fresh, sliced turkey meat instead of processed. There has been a great out-cry recently over "pink slime" that is found in most hamburger and other processed meats. What is "pink slime"? According to ABC News:

"The "pink slime" is made by gathering waste trimmings, simmering them at low heat so the fat separates easily from the muscle, and spinning the trimmings using a centrifuge to complete the separation. Next, the mixture is sent through pipes where it is sprayed with ammonia gas to kill bacteria. The process is completed by packaging the meat into bricks. Then, it is frozen and shipped to grocery stores and meat packers, where it is added to most ground beef".

And Examiner.com added this:
"The United States Department of Agriculture is going to continue adding "pink slime," a sludge-like mixture of cow slaughter and manufacturing scraps to US school lunches. Bettina Siegel, Houston food activist and blogger for The Lunch Tray, is attempting to stop them." Can I hear three cheers for Bettina Siegel?

PEANUT BUTTER vs. ALMOND BUTTER

The winner: Almond butter

My family and I LOVE almond butter. We take a container with a lid to the nearby natural foods store, and use their almond butter machine. This grinds the almonds into a beautiful peanut butter consistency, except that almond butter has more calcium and magnesium that peanut butter. While the two nut butters contain about the same amount of fat, the almond variety has 60 percent more monounsaturated fat. Almond butter also has three times more vitamin E, an antioxidant that may reduce cancer risk.

Healthy Choice: Instead of PB&J, have a AB&J sandwich. Is this where I confess that I sometimes just eat this with a spoon?

SPINACH vs. KALE

The winner: Kale

I have heard for some time about the nutritional superiority of kale. I chop up handfuls of it and put it in my VitaMix to make green smoothies in the morning. Gram for gram, kale contains four times more vitamin C, and one and a half times the amount of immune boosting vitamin A and vitamin K. Vitamin K helps our blood clot, and is an essential vitamin for growing healthy bones. Kale also contains healthy antioxidants that help protect our eye health."

Healthy Choice: Besides using in a smoothie, you can make kale "chips": Spread bite-sized pieces on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil, season with salt, and bake for 15 minutes (until crisp).

WHEAT BREAD vs. RYE BREAD

The winner: Rye bread

Who knew? I love rye bread, especially hearty German Rye. According to a study in the Nutrition Journal, researchers in Sweden found that people who ate rye bread for breakfast experienced less hunger later in the day compared with those who ate wheat bread. It is believed that this is due to the high fiber content of rye - up to eight grams MORE fiber per slice than whole wheat.

Healthy Choice: Rye bread often contains some refined wheat flour, so to get the most fiber, buy "100 percent rye" loaves or make sure whole rye flour or meal is the first ingredient.

QUICK HITS FROM "RUNNERS WORLD"
Here are some some more superfood winners.

Quinoa beats brown rice. Quinoa has three extra grams of protein per cooked cup, plus more fiber, iron, and magnesium.

Greek yogurt beats regular yogurt. The Greek variety has about twice as much protein as traditional types.

Green tea beats coffee. It's bursting with antioxidants (such as EGCG) that help ward off diabetes and certain cancers.

Pork tenderloin beats beef tenderloin. The pork version has less saturated fat, more B vitamins, and is cheaper.

Goat cheese beats feta cheese. Goat cheese has nearly half the cholesterol and a third less sodium.

Orange beats apple. They have similar amounts of calories and fiber, but oranges have 12 times as much vitamin C.

Red pepper beats green pepper. It boasts eight times the vitamin A, which keeps your immune system strong.

Flaxseed beats flaxseed oil. The seeds have lots of magnesium, potassium, selenium, and fiber.