Foods rich in nutrients provide more vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, and lean protein per calorie than their less nutritious counterparts. Nutrit-dense options may also help lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels, and maintain a healthier weight by providing more essential vitamins and minerals.
Pick nutritious foods at each meal and snack, looking out for products bearing the Heart-Check mark or other nutrition labels as indicators of healthful options.
Fruits
Nutritious foods are defined as those which provide important vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients in relatively few calories or kilojoules, helping people achieve weight loss by decreasing risk factors like heart disease and other serious medical issues. Eating such food may support weight management programs while simultaneously protecting against other chronic illnesses.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identified all vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat or non-fat dairy, legumes, seafood and lean meats as being nutritionally dense foods; however, foods within each category may vary significantly in nutrient density – for instance low-fat chocolate milk contains added sugar while fruited low-fat yoghurt has additional sodium added.
National nutrition guidelines advocate consuming “powerhouse fruits and vegetables”, which are high in nutrients and linked with reduced chronic disease risks. Yet these impressive foods often go overlooked due to higher energy and SFA contents – this calls for a more comprehensive approach to nutrient profiling.
Vegetables
Add more vegetables to your diet to reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity. Vegetables provide essential fiber that promotes digestive health while simultaneously lowering cholesterol. In addition, they are full of vitamin A, potassium and folic acid as well as being low in fat and calories.
Vegetables are edible parts of herbaceous plants, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. Vegetables may be consumed raw or cooked; though certain nutrients may become less available with cooking; for instance, boiling reduces water-soluble vitamins like B and C while cooking carrots and tomatoes increases beta-carotene and lycopene antioxidant availability.
National nutrition guidelines advise consuming at least two servings of vegetables daily. Green leafy veggies like kale, spinach and chard, as well as cruciferous varieties like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli contain many essential vitamins and minerals; red/orange varieties like sweet potatoes and carrots contain extra nutrition than their green counterparts.
Dairy
Dairy provides our bodies with essential nutrients such as calcium and potassium, vitamin D, protein and other proteins which contribute to bone health, muscle function and more. Many Americans would benefit from adding more low-fat and fat-free dairy foods – like milk, yogurt cheese or fortified soy beverages – into their diets; you can check the MyPlate Plan Dairy Group table to help determine which amounts count as 1 cup from this group.
Nutrient-dense foods contain more vitamins, minerals and other healthful nutrients while still remaining relatively low in calories compared to foods with fewer nutrients (often known as empty calories). Examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean meats, seafood eggs nuts seeds and oils as nutrient-dense options.
Millions of people suffer from malnutrition in a silent way due to insufficient micronutrients being provided through their daily food choices, particularly infants and young children, women of reproductive age (i.e. pregnant/lactating mothers, as well as older adults). This is particularly prevalent for infants/young children as well as pregnant/lactating mothers as well as older adults.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are one of the three major nutrients your body uses for energy, providing vitality to cells across your body and brain. After eating carbohydrate-rich foods, glucose is formed which is then either immediately used by cells throughout your body or stored away for later use by livers and muscles – both providing you with immediate energy as well as helping maintain stable blood sugar levels.
For optimal health, choose complex carbs (starches) from whole grains, beans and vegetables for their fiber and nutritional content. Complex carbohydrates take longer for your body to digest while providing vital vitamins, minerals and fiber benefits.
Limit simple carbs like added sugars and syrups (including agave syrup) as well as processed food with high amounts of fat and sugar content, like cookies and candies. Fruits and milk naturally contain carbohydrates – pick these over foods that provide empty calories such as cookies or candies!
