Increasing the nutrient density of our diets Small swaps in our everyday meals can help us increase the nutrient density of our diets. Key-take away messages Energy density measures the calorie content of foods, while nutrient density refers to the nutrient composition of foods. Energy-dense foods tend to be dry and high in fats such as biscuits, chips, candy, butter, etc. Overall, nutrient-dense foods are foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting components and have little added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
A few examples include dry beans, nuts, seeds, some dairy products and some ready-to-eat cereals. Basing our diets on nutrient-dense foods prevents us from eating too many calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, salt sodium , or alcohol and are more likely to keep a healthy weight and decrease risk of certain diseases. Examples of nutrient-dense foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, legumes such as beans, peas and lentils , unsalted nuts and seeds, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and lean meats and poultry—when prepared with no or little added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
Department of Agriculture and U. Department of Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Drewnowski, A Nutrient density: Addressing the challenge of obesity. British Journal of Nutrition.
Uses of nutrient profiling to address public health needs: From regulation to reformulation. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 76 3 : — Nutrient profiling section. Accessed 10 Sep. Lockyear S, et al. The nutrient density approach to healthy eating: Challenges and opportunities.
Public Health Nutrition 17 12 : — Scarborough P, Rayner M When nutrient profiling can and cannot be useful. The Heart-Check mark considers beneficial nutrients as well as nutrients you should limit, making it quick and easy for you to make a healthy choice. Now that you understand what nutrient-dense foods are, you can start adding more into your eating plan. Sometimes it only takes a small shift to make a more nutrient-dense choice. For example:. Most of us, including kids and adolescents, get a significant portion of our daily energy calories from snacks — foods and drinks we have between regular meals.
For example, sugary drinks like carbonated sodas, sports drinks and sweet tea are usually quite high in calories and low in nutrient density. When snacking, choose mostly nutrient-dense foods such as nonfat or low-fat dairy products, a variety of fruits and vegetables and nuts. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers.
See our editorial policies and staff. Eat Smart. American Heart Association Cookbooks. Nutrition Basics. Healthy For Good: Spanish Infographics. They are also a great source of potassium and protein as well. While anyone can benefit from a nutrient dense diet, there are certain lifestyles that would far greatly benefit from it.
Once you recognize that you fall within one of these lifestyles, you can begin your experience and be one step closer to a healthy lifestyle. Outer nutrition consists of sunlight, physical touch, and community atmosphere. So if you work at home, there is definitely a high chance that you are lacking these outer nutrients, which means you need to get them from within. If you do work from home, and you find that you are lacking these outer nutrients, there are ways to get dense nutrition from inner nutrients like foods.
Try incorporating more nutrient dense foods into your meals, like fruits and vegetables or more leaner cuts of meat. Those who are affected by the restrictions of COVID , like being under lockdown, are more likely to benefit from a nutrient dense diet. Those who find themselves affected from COVID restrictions or under lockdown, might find it more difficult to get both the outer and inner nutrients needed for a nutrient dense diet.
If you are under lockdown, or affected by COVID restriction, try stocking up on the nutrient dense foods when you go out food shopping. And while it may not be the same, try getting all of your friends together one night for a zoom call.
Nutrient-dense foods are rich in nutrients relative to their calorie content. These include various healthy foods such as whole vegetables, fruits, cocoa, seafood, eggs and liver, and once you begin to add these foods to your diet, you can begin to live a healthier lifestyle. There are six classes of nutrients; carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, vitamins, and minerals.
Many of the nutrients within these classes contain highly dense nutrients. Include vitamins and minerals, like vitamins C, E, and selenium , into your diet.
Many foods, like Salmon, have vitamins C and E, which are high in nutrient density. Dietary fats help your body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and even support your muscles, brain, bones and skin.
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