Nutrient Density - Part 2
What to Eat - Nutrient Density
The easiest way to eat and not worry about counting, weighing, or removing anything from your diet is through Nutrient Density.
Nutrient dense food is unprocessed, whole food that’s chock full of nutrients. Very nutrient dense food are things like kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, and other non-starchy veggies.
By focusing on the nutrient density of a food, you automatically eat a low-calorie diet.
Plus, you’re focusing on a positive idea (eating more of something) instead of something negative (eat less of everything). Positive changes tend to be easier and more sustainable. It’s hard to say no no no all day long.
Use nutrient-dense food to squish out very LOW nutrient dense food, like white flour, white sugar, soda/pop.
All other food falls on a scale between nutrient dense veggies and white sugar. The more nutrient dense the better :)
Most Important thing to remember – DON’T DRINK SUGAR
(or aspartame, sucralose, or other artificial sweeteners)
That’s it, don’t do it. It messes with your gut, your metabolism, and blood sugar control. It gives your body a huge boost of sugar but without any food to buffer it. Also, drinking sugar is relatively new to humans and our body doesn’t register it the same way.
Artificial sweeteners are actually worse than drinking regular refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. They taste sweet on the tongue, so your body pushes out a bunch of insulin to deal with the incoming sugar…but it never comes.
Then your body is like “whaaaat??? Where’s the sugar??” so triggers a huge craving for something sweet to balance things out.
Observational studies have found that diet pop drinkers have larger waistlines than regular pop drinkers, so steer clear from these chemical-based sugars.
This means that if you really want to drink something sweet, choose sugar over an artificial sweetener.
Stevia and monk fruit, though, are an exception. They don’t trick the body, the body doesn’t register them as something sweet. These are a great alternative for artificial sweeteners.
The jury is still out – Xylitol and Erythritol. These are 0 cal sweeteners that are found in most health food stores…and honestly, we don’t know if they act like artificial sweeteners in the body or like stevia. So, until we know, my recommendation is to limit them.
How to eat a Nutrient Dense Diet
Simply put, eating a nutrient dense diet means you’re giving your body TONS of nutrients. It’s a lack of certain nutrients that can drive many food cravings and nutrient dense foods are super satiating. By focusing on nutrient density you can eat less while feeling very satisfied.
Sounds heavenly…doesn’t it?
Our mainstream diet is the opposite…
There are about 3000 different plant species that humans eat…but, 60% of a common North American diet comes from just 4 plants. Corn, rice, soy, and wheat.
While there’s nothing wrong with eating these plants, the way they’re found in our diet is the problem. Rarely is the corn in our diet a cob of corn, it’s corn starch or high fructose corn syrup. Soy is rarely found as tempeh or edamame…instead, it’s hydrolyzed soy protein or vegetable oil.
Doesn’t nutrient dense food sound more appetizing? Your body thinks so too :)
Imagine for a minute what 600 calories of fast food looks like. Normally, it’s one hamburger. Now, imagine 600 calories of kale - it’s 18 cups!
Now, I have no interest in eating a mountain of kale for lunch…but makes it easy to understand how satisfying this way of eating is because you’ll be eating so much food!
How to choose nutrient dense food
Something small to keep in mind whenever possible –
The longer produce is stored, the lower the nutrient value (esp vitamins and antioxidants). This means that nutrient density is generally higher with seasonal food (food grown closer to your house), farmer’s market produce, and anything from your own garden. But…do what you can. Produce from the grocery store is still great!
Top 30 Nutrient Dense Foods
This was created by Dr. Fuhrman, and he used a calculation of different known nutrients to create this chart. Please, take this with a grain of salt – this is just a place to start, it’s not a “perfect” list. There are many amazing parts of food that we don’t know about, so don’t cut out a whole food you love just because it’s not on this list. Use this as a guide only.
Here’s a printable version of this list
Seaweed
Liver (Beef and Chicken)
Kale, collards and dandelion greens
Broccoli rabe
Exotic berries: acai, goji, camu camu
Spinach, watercress and arugula
Broccoli and cauliflower
Cabbage
Red peppers
Garlic
Parsley
Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Asparagus
Carrots
Beets
Wild salmon and sardines
Bone broth
Grass-fed beef
Green beans
Egg yolks
Pumpkin
Lentils
Artichokes
Tomatoes
Wild mushrooms
Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, chia and flax
Raw cheese and kefir
Sweet potatoes
Black beans
Wild rice
Don’t forget healthy fats – these foods aren’t high on the nutrient density scale because fat is pretty nutrient poor…but they’re essential for your body to function properly. So, don’t forget to add some avocado, olive oil, organic butter, coconut oil, or any other yummy healthy fat.
How to fill your plate
There’s a way to fill your plate or bowl to ensure you’re eating a super nutrient dense diet. The picture above sums it up pretty well :).
Nutrient Dense food – ½ your plate. These are non-starchy veggies (salad, broccoli, cauliflower, etc), berries, and other foods on the list above.
Starches - Fill 1/4 of your plate (potatoes, sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc). Starch is necessary for our bodies to function properly, and this section can be adjusted depending on your carb needs. Completely removing it can trigger big sugar cravings in most people (our body will find a way to find balance). Carbs are your friends! Some bodies need more than others is all :)
Protein - fill ¼ of your plate, and this could be animal or plant-based protein. Many plant-based proteins (like beans) are an excellent protein/starch combo, so consider filling 1/3 of your plate with beans, and using the rest of the starch section for some steamed dark leafy greens. That would be a nutrient-density powerhouse!
An exception – steamed greens (kale, chard, collards, spinach). These are an AMAZING nutrient-dense food and are best when steamed. But, by steaming them you can turn a whole head of kale or chard into just a few tablespoons. So, when having steamed greens, consider ¼ of your plate the equivalent of ½ your plate.
(if this isn’t clear, let me know…and I’ll try to explain it a different way)
A little trick – make veggies the focus of the meal.
It’s common to think about protein as the focus of the meal, but our body would be happier if our main focus was veggies. So, instead of thinking about what protein to have for dinner, think about the veggies. It may seem like a small switch, but it’s really powerful!
What does this look like with a non-plated meal?
Stir-fry – ¼ cup of cooked rice, ¼ cup (or more) protein, TONS of veggies
Pasta – ¼ cup of pasta, protein, TONS of veggies and tomato-sauce.
Soup – Bowl of soup, piece of bread/toast
Chili – just fine as it is. Maybe add some chard or spinach for something green :)
This is how it exists in my life –
Breakfast – I like toast and peanut butter…it’s comforting and keeps me full. I make sure the bread I eat is good quality (sourdough or currently it’s coconut flour bread). I use organic butter (full of beta carotene), and I add a piece of fruit.
Lunch – this is usually leftovers, or it’s coconut flour toast with butter, hummus, cashew butter, and avocado. Sometimes I’ll add an egg for extra protein.
Dinner – I eat a lot of broccoli, carrots, kale, chard, and I add some salads in the summer. Onions and garlic are a base for most meals as well. I have potatoes or sweet potatoes as my starchy food as much as possible (more nutrients than rice). I add kale or chard to most soups and stews in the wintertime for some extra umph.
Wrapping it up –
Try adding more nutrient dense food and let it squish out less-than-nutrient dense food…but don’t deprive yourself of food you love. It’s about balance.
What are your favourite nutrient-dense foods? How do you eat them? Share them with us on our Facebook Page!
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)