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Nutrient Dense Foods vs Energy Dense Foods

fresh fruit Many times consumers classify foods as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, or allowed or forbidden. Instead of classifying foods into positive or negative categories, try evaluating them based on nutrient density. Nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients for the given volume of food; in other words, containing the most nutrition per bite. The opposite of nutrient density is energy density. By definition energy dense foods have more calories per volume and provide few nutrients. The 100 calorie packs of chips and cookies are good examples of energy dense foods. These products are low in calories but consist primarily of simple, refined sugar and miniscule amounts of beneficial nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. While at first glance these products may appear to be a good choice for dieters, these 100 calorie packs of refined sugar will be utilized in the body rapidly leaving the consumer craving another pouch. In order to lose weight successfully without developing any nutritional deficiencies, you need to consume foods packed with healthy nutrients while still being relatively low in calories.

Scenario

It is late in the afternoon and hunger strikes. You have two options: you can try and fight the hunger until dinner or you can eat a snack. If you try to wait until dinner you may be tempted to curb your hunger with a candy bar or fast food, or eat too much and too quickly at dinner time. If, however, you choose the right snack it will not hinder your weight loss progress and it will provide you with satiety. Your snack options include a yogurt parfait from the cafe across the street, a left over slice of cake in the office refrigerator, or a bag of wheat crackers from the vending machine. The yogurt parfait is the best choice and the most nutritionally dense food. At approximately 120 calories, the parfait comes with vitamins, protein, healthy bacteria, and fiber from the fruit. This is a lot of "nutritional bang" for your buck! At approximately 200 calories and a small amount of fiber, wheat crackers would be the next best choice. The slice of cake would be your last choice because of the lack of nutritional components and its high energy density (a small slice comes in at approximately 240 calories). The slice of cake consists of refined sugar and saturated fat while the yogurt includes protein and fiber which will keep you satisfied. Your body will digest the cake quickly, leaving you hungry and craving a second slice in 20-30 minutes.

How to Identify Nutrient Dense Foods

Look for foods that are relatively low in calories but high in nutrients such as fiber, protein, and vitamins. Keep in mind that sometimes foods marketed as "low calorie" may not be the best option as they sometimes don't have substantial amounts of fiber or protein. Do not be afraid to choose foods that may contain more calories but provide twice as much protein or fiber. While there is no standardized list of nutrient dense foods, the general rule of thumb is fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, low fat dairy, fish, lean meats, and some fortified foods. Foods high in sugar and fat such as white breads, pasta, pastries, processed meats and cheeses, ice cream, candy, soda, and chips are considered energy dense.

Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning

grains How do you choose nutrient dense foods when you walk into the grocery store and are faced with thousands of products? It gets especially tough when marketing claims such as "diet," "low calorie," "low fat," "no trans fat," among others clutter the packaging and confuse the shopper. Shop the edges of the store where fresh produce and fresh meats are located. Be cautious of the middle aisles of the grocery store where most of the energy dense foods will be located. Preparing nutrient dense meals is simple. Purchase nutrient dense foods and pair them together. Each meal should contain about 3-4 ounces of a protein source such as fish, beans, or lean meats. Then the rest of the meal should be a vegetable or fruit.

In order to lose weight and maintain your weight loss, you will have to make some nutrition changes and stick with them. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Choosing the appropriate foods and basing your choices on nutrient density will provide your body with the proper nutrition for optimal health.