Eating healthy is a delicate balancing act between the amounts of calories food contains versus its nutritional content. According to the American Council on Exercise, for your diet to be effective, roughly 80 percent of everything you eat should include nutrient-dense foods. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid can help you boost your nutrition and keep your calorie volume low.
Nutrient Density
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, nutrient-dense foods are those that offer the most vitamins, minerals and nutrients for the least amount of calories. Many of the most nutrient-dense foods are those naturally found in nature. Not all are low in calories, however. For example some baked goods are high in vitamins, fiber and sugar. Many processed foods tend to be stripped of their natural nutrients in exchange for a longer shelf life.
High-Nutrient Foods
Some examples of nutrient-dense foods include raw vegetables and fruits. Other examples are whole grains, oats and legumes. One of the most powerful nutrients these types of foods offer is fiber. Fiber keeps you feeling full and can prevent overeating. It also helps you lower your bad cholesterol and promotes healthy digestion. High-fiber foods are also generally lower in calories.
Low-Nutrient Foods
Low-nutrient foods tend to be those that are highly processed. For example, white rice and white bread are made from wheat flour that has been stripped of its most nutritional content -- mainly the bran and cereal germ. When these are removed, you're left with a product that retains most of its calories and hardly any nutritional value. Foods made from these types of "stripped" grains include most cookies, doughnuts, baked goods, cereals, crackers and chips, which have added sugar and sodium, and additives to enhance flavor. Extra sugars of course add to the caloric value of these products.
Sample Meal
A sample meal that is high in nutrition and low in volume is 1/2 cup of oatmeal with some fruit toppings, a two-egg omelet with vegetables, a 4-oz. glass of skim milk and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. This low-volume meal offers 4 g of fat, 45 g of carbohydrates, 9 g of fiber and 30 g of protein. And this meal has just under 300 calories. If you were to eat low-nutrient foods for breakfast like white toast, a breakfast pastry, juice, or sugary cereal, you would need to eat roughly three times as much to match the nutritional value of the healthier meal.
References
- "Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 2008
- "NSCA's Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2011
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
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