High Nutrient Foods List

The USDA defines high-nutrient, or nutrient-dense, foods as those "that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) and relatively few calories." Conversely, low-nutrient foods are high in calories and provide little or no nutrition. Foods with added sugar, alcohol, or saturated and trans fats top the list of empty-calorie, low-nutrient foods.

Factors

Joel Fuhrman, M.D., developed a scoring system that evaluates each food's nutrients as a percentage of their recommended daily intake (RDI) and gives each item a score between 1 and 1000. His website provides a general list that divides foods into high-, medium- and low-density categories. The high-density foods in the sample list are vegetables and a few fruits. His low category includes foods such as white bread and potato chips. However, some foods in the low category, such as yogurt, ground and olive oil, are recommended for other reasons regardless of being rated as low nutrient. Dr. Fuhrman emphasizes that "nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines good health." If you eat only high-nutrient foods your diet would be deficient in necessary fats and other nutrients such as protein.

High Nutrients

All vegetables and most fruits are high-nutrient foods. Those that are especially high on the list include kale, collard greens, spinach and cabbage. These are followed by broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, artichokes, carrots, asparagus and iceberg lettuce. Fruits in the highest category are tomatoes, blueberries, oranges and cantaloupes.

Medium Nutrients

Foods rated as medium still provide great nutrition. Vegetables in this category are sweet potatoes, peas, corn and cucumbers. Kidney beans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, tofu and oatmeal are good choices, in addition to apples, peaches and cherries. Two high-protein foods found in the medium group are salmon and shrimp.

Low Nutrients

The low-nutrient foods include those that are highly processed, high in fat or have added sugar. You won't be surprised to find snacks such as potato chips, french fries, American cheese and vanilla ice cream in this category. Some foods that are ranked as "low nutrient" are desirable for other nutritional benefits, including bananas, chicken breasts, ground beef, eggs, whole wheat bread and low-fat yogurt.

Variety

As the USDA Dietary Guidelines emphasize, "each basic food group is a major contributor of at least one nutrient while making substantial contributions of many other nutrients." Select the most nutrient dense food in all of the food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and beans, milk and oil. Choose low-fat meats, poultry and fish and do not fry them. Eat a higher percentage of whole-grain and high-fiber carbohydrates. Soft margarine, low-fat mayonnaise and vegetable oils have a higher nutrient rating compared to others in the oil category.