Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen

Beans

Servings: 3 per day

e.g. ½ c. cooked beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, navy beans, chickpeas and so on,  tofu or tempeh, ¼ c. hummus or bean dip, 1 cup of fresh peas

Berries

Servings: 1 per day

e.g. ½ c. fresh or frozen, ¼ c. dried

Other Fruits

Servings: 3 per day

e.g. 1 medium fruit, ¼ c. dried fruit

apples, avocados, bananas, oranges, peaches, mangoes, pineapple, pears and many other favorite fruits.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Servings: 1 per day

e.g. ½ c. chopped, 1 tbsp horseradish

broccoli of all types, cauliflower, cabbage (red, green, savoy, Napa), Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, bok choy, turnip, rutabaga, turnip greens, watercress, mustard greens, kohlrabi, arugula, watercress, radish, daikon.

Greens

Servings: 2 per day

e.g. 1 c. raw, ½ c. cooked

a mix of young salad greens, beet greens, cabbage (green, red, savoy, or Napa), kale, collards, spinach, chard, dandelion greens, mustard greens, tung ho, bok choy, turnip greens, Brussels sprouts, romaine, leaf lettuce, watercress, endive, radicchio, chicory. Note that many of these count both as a green and as a cruciferous vegetable.

Other Vegetables

Servings: 2 per day

e.g. ½ c. nonleafy vegetables, raw or cooked, ½ cup vegetable juice;

including diced beets, tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped asparagus, diced eggplant, diced carrots, chopped celery, chopped green beans, chopped sugar snap peas, snow peas, chopped red/yellow/orange bell pepper, finely chopped hot peppers or chilis, chopped or sliced mushrooms, diced squash, etc.

Flaxseed

Servings: 1 per day

e.g. 1 tbsp ground

• Sprinkle it on your favorite foods.

Nuts and Seeds

Servings: 1 per day

e.g. ¼ c. nuts, 2 tbsp nut butter

Herbs and Spices

Servings: 1 per day

e.g. ¼ tsp turmeric + any other salt-free herbs and spices you like such as  cinnamon, chili powder, nutmeg, oregano and more

Whole Grains

Servings: 3 per day

e.g. ½ c. hot cereal, 1 slice of bread, 

• 3 cups popped popcorn;

brown rice, oats, popcorn, quinoa, whole wheat pasta and barley. 

whole rye, Kamut, spelt, emmer, farro, einkorn, red fife, etc.; or pseudo-grains like amaranth, buckwheat groats, quinoa, or chia seed.

Beverages

Servings: 60 oz per day

e.g. Water, green tea, hibiscus tea and coffee

Exercise

Servings: Once per day

e.g. 90 min. moderate or 40 min. vigorous

Vitamin B12

At least 2,000 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin once each week (or at least 50 mcg daily), ideally as a chewable, sublingual, or liquid supplement taken on an empty stomach.