The Importance of Eating Nutrient-Dense Foods

Basically, nutrient density means how many nutrients you are getting in relation to how many calories are contained in the food you are consuming. Foods that are more nutrient-dense contribute more essential nutrients than calories to the overall diet. So, your goal is to consume food that has a high nutritional content in relation to how many calories that food contains (i.e. low calorie).

When we eat food, our bodies are looking for two things from it, nutrients (vitamins, minerals, Protein, fat, carbohydrates, water) and calories (energy). Our bodies need both to survive. However, it’s become quite evident that the SAD (standard American diet) is not doing a great job of supplying the nutrients we need to be healthy, but doing a great job of supplying plenty of simple, empty calories. Unlike nutrient-dense foods, empty calorie foods(AKA energy-dense foods) are nutritionally poor food choices, as they contain more calories than nutrients.

Why is this important? Because nutrient-rich foods do many things for us. They supply our body with the proper nutrients to keep our immune system working properly, our bones strong, or brains sharp, our skin healthy and our digestive system working smoothly. Moreover, most nutrient-dense foods are relatively low in calories, and sugar, and require the body to expend more energy to break them down. This assists in preventing the overconsumption of calories, greater feeling of satiety, and leads to less energy storage (i.e.: fat). Making nutrient-dense choices can prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.

Processed food, on the other hand, is typically dried (water removed), preserved with un-natural man-made chemicals, is usually nutrient-low in relation to it’s energy value, and can have added processed sugar to make it more palatable to our taste buds. If we eat too many foods high in unhealthy fats, and sugar, it is easy to go over the amount of daily calories we need, without getting the necessary nutrients to keep us healthy. Most nutrient-poor foods are highly processed and make up most of the long shelf life foods and beverages sold in stores and vending machines. In addition, processed nutrient-poor foods require less energy to break down into usable energy and therefore energy intake can easily exceed your body’s energy requirements. If not used soon after digestion the extra calories are stored in the body as fat. Over time this can lead to weight gain and obesity.

So, what are some of the most nutrient-dense foods available? Simply, whole unprocessed foods. Our bodies are designed to break down whole natural foods, remove the nutrients, and use them to support our body’s essential functions, repair damaged cells, and live a healthy life. Don’t fight your body! It knows what you need. For a healthier body, incorporate more of these foods into your diet, a great variety of meats, seafood, dairy, fruits and vegetables. The more whole, nutrient-dense food you incorporate into your diet the healthier you will be and feel. Your cravings for high sugar/highly processed foods will lessen as you make this transition. Click below to see what are the healthiest foods around!

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Simple strategies on how to get more nutrient dense foods into your diet:

• Don’t bring nutrient-poor/energy-rich foods into your home. If they aren’t around, you can’t eat them.
• Do most of your grocery shopping around the outer edge of the store; avoid the center isles of processed and boxed food items. Around the edge of the store is where you’re going to find the most nutrient-dense foods; like fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, poultry, eggs, fish and dairy. Once you have everything you need from the outer rim of the store, strategically go down the center isles to get other things you need.
• Do more cooking at home. Cooking with fresh food at home will bring more of a connection between you and your food. Cooking your own food will also increase the amount of nutrients you supply to your body, your food will taste better, and you will avoid taking in all of the processed chemical preservatives you will find in many “meals-in-a-box.”
• If you can, shop at a local farmer’s market at least once a week. The food sold at these markets is usually organic and “fresh-out-of-the-ground.” They usually contain a much higher nutritional value than the vegetables and fruits you buy in the grocery store as many of the vegetables and fruits available in the stores have to be picked prior to maturity because of transportation times.
• Buy whole, organically-grown food. They are the most nutrient dense foods.

How to do this “Relatively Unprocessed.”

OK, OK, I get it. This can be hard. It takes time, planning, and cooking. A lot of us live such a busy life that being perfect at this may be difficult. BUT, even if you move, just a little bit, in the direction towards a healthier lifestyle, everyday, you will be better off than yesterday. There is a saying that goes… “It’s a cinch by the inch.” Take it slow if you need to. Try to replace one element of your diet at a time with a different food with a higher nutrient density and lower energy density, if that will help. Start with one food group at a time and then move on to the others (veggies one week, fruit the next, meat the next, and so on). Don’t fail because it is “too big” of a change. Take baby steps and before you know it, you will be a healthier you, and living… “Relatively Unprocessed!”

Please come and visit our blog at: http://relativelyunprocessed.com

and at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Relatively.Unprocessed