Nutrient-dense foods, or those that provide high nutritional value within low calories, will satisfy your body's needs while controlling your weight. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages you to fill your daily diet with these healthy foods that will foster optimum health and reduce your risk for chronic disease. These foods emphasize protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and beneficial fatty acids while containing little saturated fat, sodium, sugar and cholesterol. By focusing on nutrient-dense foods of about 100 calories, you can enjoy occasional dishes with more "discretionary" calories, or those that come from sugar and fat.
Whole-Grain Cereal
Enriched whole-grain cereals meet the healthy foods criteria of low calories and high vitamins and minerals. Fortified wheat bran cereals, farina and corn flakes, for instance, may contain 10 to 100 percent of the protein, fiber, vitamins A, B, C and D, iron, calcium and potassium daily values, or DVs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest checking the package nutrition facts for brands with the least sugar. Some of these healthy foods have about 100 calories or less per suggested serving.
Dairy Products
Get 30 percent DV of calcium from just 1 cup of fat-free milk, 83 calories, or as much as 45 percent DV from 1 cup of plain fat-free yogurt, 127 calories, as per the USDA Nutrient Database. The USDA Dietary Guidelines consider these nutrient-dense foods important sources of potassium, magnesium and vitamins A and D as well.
Fish
As protein sources, 3 oz. of fish have greater nutrient density within low calorie boundaries than meats and poultry, which have higher fat content. The MayoClinic.com suggests salmon, 184 calories, for its heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Other fish with high DVs of vitamins A, B12 and D, and fewer than 100 calories per serving, include cod, flounder, haddock, canned tuna and orange roughy.
Most Fruits
The CDC recommends most fruits as good suppliers of dietary fiber. At 50 calories or less per fruit or per 1 cup, apricots, papayas, oranges, apples and berries make nutrient-dense food sources of antioxidant vitamins A and C. Antioxidants are thought to guard cells against cancer and other diseases.
Green and Orange Vegetables
Among healthy foods, cooked spinach may have the greatest nutritional value. In 41 calories, 1 cup provides calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, according to the USDA. Other leafy greens and carrots, winter squash and sweet potatoes have many of these benefits in low calorie counts.
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