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Boxing food rankings

The best vegetables for boxers

All 687 vegetables from the official UK food dataset, ranked by all-round score. Seaweed, Seaweed, Seaweed lead the group. Open the full explorer to rank them for making weight, bulking or maximum protein instead.All 687 vegetables, ranked by Super Score (%Protein per kcal x Nutrient Density x estimated Satiety, each normalised 0 to 100). Switch goals in the explorer to re-rank for cutting, bulking or maximum protein.

Vegetables are the foundation of a boxer's plate, not for protein, but for micronutrient density, fibre, hydration and the calorie headroom they create to fit in everything else.

The ranking is topped by seaweed, which is unusual enough in a British diet that it is worth a brief note: dried seaweed concentrates minerals in a way almost nothing else does. For most boxers, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli and peppers are the practical leaders of this group. They score well on nutrient density relative to their very low calorie count, which means loading a plate with them does not threaten a weight target.

The key role vegetables play is micronutrient delivery: iron and folate from dark leafy greens, vitamin C from peppers and broccoli, potassium from many root vegetables, and B vitamins from mushrooms. These support everything from red blood cell production to energy metabolism and immune function, all of which take stress during a training camp.

A realistic caveat: most vegetables score near zero for protein per calorie, which is why they sit in the lower half of an all-round boxing ranking. They are not scored low because they are unimportant but because the ranking is built around protein efficiency. In practice, a boxer who fills half their plate with vegetables at every meal will eat better micronutrients, stay fuller for fewer calories, and perform better over a long season than one who ignores them.

#	Food	All-Round score	% Protein/kcal	Nutrients	Fullness
1	Seaweednori, dried, raw	100.0	90%	85	92
2	Seaweedkombu, dried, raw	52.0	67%	64	86
3	Seaweedwakame, dried, raw	50.9	70%	63	81
4	Mushroomdried	33.2	55%	71	60
5	Spinachdried	30.6	46%	72	65
6	Beanssoya, dried, raw	30.3	39%	81	68
7	Tempeh	26.7	51%	51	73
8	Beansbroad, dried, raw	23.6	43%	53	74
9	Agardried	22.8	33%	50	98
10	Quornpieces, as purchased	21.7	77%	27	73
11	Green beansdried	19.2	35%	57	68
12	Aubergineflesh and skin, roasted in rapeseed oil	19.0	73%	25	73
13	Watercressraw	19.0	73%	25	73
14	Aubergineflesh and skin, roasted in rapeseed oil	18.6	73%	25	73
15	Watercressraw	18.6	73%	25	73
16	Courgettedried	18.6	33%	64	61
17	Amaranth leavesraw	17.3	79%	22	71
18	Spinachbaby, boiled in unsalted water	16.2	62%	25	73
19	Broccoligreen, raw	15.6	50%	30	72
20	SeaweedIrish moss, raw	15.2	78%	18	75
21	Lentilsgreen and brown, whole, dried, raw	15.1	33%	57	57
22	Turnip topsboiled in unsalted water	14.9	92%	16	72
23	Beansred kidney, dried, raw	14.4	33%	51	61
24	Beansblackeye, whole, dried, raw	14.4	30%	61	55
25	Drumstick leavesraw	14.3	38%	39	68
26	Rocketraw	13.9	79%	17	73
27	Spinachbaby, raw	13.8	61%	22	73
28	Amaranth leavesboiled in unsalted water	13.4	77%	17	71
29	Curly kaleraw	13.2	40%	32	72
30	Taro leavesraw	12.9	50%	26	70
31	Lentilsred, split, dried, raw	12.7	33%	50	54
32	Beansmung, whole, dried, raw	12.4	34%	44	58
33	Mushroomswhite, stewed in unsalted water	12.4	67%	18	72
34	Beansharicot, whole, dried, raw	12.3	30%	48	61
35	Mushroomswhite, raw	12.2	57%	21	71
36	Spinachmature, raw	12.0	46%	26	72
37	Beanssoya, dried, boiled in unsalted water	11.8	40%	29	71
38	Spinachfrozen, boiled in unsalted water	11.7	57%	20	73
39	Beansmung, dahl, dried, raw	11.7	37%	43	52
40	Mushroomsoyster, raw	11.6	78%	15	70

40 of 687 vegetables. Open the full interactive explorer to search and switch goals. Satiety is an estimate. It is modelled from the known drivers of fullness (protein, fibre, water, low energy density, low fat), not measured directly.

Common questions

What are the best vegetables for boxers?

Seaweed (nori, dried, raw), Seaweed (kombu, dried, raw), Seaweed (wakame, dried, raw) score highest in this group on the all-round measure, which combines protein per calorie, nutrient density and estimated fullness.

How is the ranking worked out?

Each food is scored from the UK Government CoFID 2021 dataset and ranked by an all-round score. Switch goals in the full interactive explorer to re-rank for making weight, bulking or maximum protein.

General information for boxers, not medical or dietary advice. For a plan built around you, speak to a registered dietitian or your GP. Food data from the UK Government CoFID 2021 dataset, used under the Open Government Licence.

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