Nutrient-dense foods provide an abundance of essential vitamins and minerals in relation to their calories. Examples include leafy greens, fatty fish, eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
As part of a healthy diet, including these foods in your daily regimen can increase energy levels and strengthen immunity, as well as help prevent nutritional deficiencies and chronic illnesses.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses, packed with the vitamins and minerals essential for strong bones, healthy skin, good vision, immunity support and overall wellness. Packed with A, C, K & folate plus calcium magnesium potassium iron they’re also an excellent low calorie choice!
Add spinach, kale or Swiss chard to your morning smoothie and blend in bananas, berries or other fruits for an easy, tasty and nutritious breakfast option. Or fold chopped spinach or arugula into your omelets or scrambled eggs – cooking greens reduces their antinutrient content and increases how well your body can absorb their benefits.
Beef Liver
Conventional wisdom suggests that fruits and vegetables are the optimal sources of micronutrients, but liver is actually one of the most nutrient-dense foods around. A single serving contains high concentrations of vitamins A, iron and B as well as essential choline content.
Choline plays an essential role in DNA synthesis, cell signaling, muscle movement and healthy heart function. Furthermore, choline promotes vision health and prevents night blindness; additionally it may aid pregnant women by alleviating preeclampsia symptoms.
Mackerel
Mackerel is packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids – two nutrients essential to overall wellness. Its high-quality proteins can help stave off hunger pangs while supporting weight loss efforts.
Omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA have long been recognized for their beneficial effects on brain health, helping prevent cognitive decline such as dementia or depression.
By taking in enough omega-3 fatty acids, omega-3s can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels – decreasing risk for heart disease in the process.
Mackerel is an excellent source of vitamin D, which plays a crucial role in supporting bone health. To meet our vitamin D requirements it’s recommended that we eat oily fish two or three times each week to achieve our daily recommended dosage of this essential nutrient.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are fat-free, low in sodium and calories, rich in vitamin D, B vitamins, selenium and other important nutrients that support health outcomes such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis. When added into food patterns that address health outcomes such as these they can play a valuable role.
Mushroom dietary fibre can be an effective tool to add nutritional value to starchy staple foods and improve their nutritional profile, creating an innovative strategy to promote overall diet health and lower the risk for chronic illnesses.
Mushrooms contain polysaccharides such as beta-glucan that activate immune cells in the body. Furthermore, mushrooms contain riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid for proper nutrition while copper assists healthy blood and nerve functioning.
Kale
One cup of kale (Brassica oleracea variety acephala) provides vitamins A, C and K as well as calcium, fiber and potassium. Furthermore, this vegetable also boasts the lutein/zeaxanthin combination that may reduce age-related eye issues.
Kale provides over 20% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, an essential nutrient for growth and development. Kale also boasts rich amounts of the antioxidant vitamins C and beta-carotene; making it a wonderful addition to soups, stews and smoothies with fruits.
Kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk beverage packed with probiotic bacteria and yeast, boasting over 20 billion colony form units (CFU). Similar to yogurt, but boasting richer texture due to the addition of milk and kefir grains.
One study revealed that supplementing diabetic subjects with kefir significantly lowered glycated hemoglobin and fasting glucose levels, as well as decreasing inflammation in adipose tissue while simultaneously increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines in bloodstream.
Kefir is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D – both essential elements to bone health – as well as protein, which may help manage appetite and hunger.
Lentils
Lentils (Lens culinaris) are small lens-shaped seeds with various hues such as brown, red, green and gray hues that contain proteins, carbs and essential minerals such as iron phosphate zinc calcium potassium.
Low-GI grains also contain dietary fiber that can help prevent constipation by adding bulk to your stool, as well as being an excellent way to manage blood sugar levels and promote heart health.
Studies have indicated that lentils can reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels for people suffering from hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, lentils can have antioxidant, antiinflammatory and even antidiabetic benefits.
