Nutrient Dense Foods: An Overlooked Approach To Weight Loss

What Are Nutrient Dense Foods?

Nutrient dense foods are fruits, vegetables and some animal proteins that are proven to have a significant combination of nutrients and compounds that are proportionally greater ounce per ounce than other foods.  It's true in a raw state and a cooked state for fruits, vegetables and animal proteins. They are low-carb fruits and vegetables and animal proteins high in good fats like Omega-3, and low in saturated fats. 

How Do Nutrient Dense Foods Help Weight Loss?

Calories from nutrient dense food allow us to eat less from a caloric standpoint, while also helping us to feel satisfied and "full." That's because many nutrient dense foods accelerate our metabolism. In fact, some of these foods require us to burn calories to digest them.  Protein requires about a 30 percent expenditure in calories to simply digest. It's referred to as the "specific dynamic action" or SDA of foods. Nutrient dense fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber.  Fiber helps to give us that feeling of "satiety" or the satisfaction of feeling "full."  Better yet, fiber helps reduce cholesterol and improves our gastro-intestinal health improving regularity and avoiding constipation.  The result is you can eat more, feel full and lose weight.  . 

Many of the foods we eat provide calories that are either empty calories defined by simple carbohydrates, or fat calories that provide calories from trans fat or saturated fat that add to LDL or bad cholesterol. We also eat a lot of processed foods that have diminished nutrient value but have flavor profiles enhanced by added sodium and artificial colors and flavorings. Nutrient dense foods are complex carbohydrates and the fats in nutrient dense proteins are high in good fats or HDL cholesterol. 

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Foods also affect our hormones. Simple sugars like sucrose and fructose compromise our glucose levels and make us want to eat more. We expend fewer calories to digest simple sugars which motivate our bodies to store all excess calories as fat.  Complex carbs put less of a burden on our systems with complex sugars that don't cause a spike in glucose levels and lead to conditions like Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.  

The Quality Of Our Calories

Nutrient dense fruits and vegetables consist of complex-carbohydrates that define a low-carb profile. Low-carb diets with fewer simple carbohydrates and increased complex carbs result in weight loss without a compromise to overall health and nutrition. Nutrient dense proteins like salmon and other oily fish along with skinless chicken and lean beef build muscle mass and don't convert to fat when complex carbohydrates are on the plate.  

Nutrient Dense Foods: Your Options

Salmon: Wild caught salmon is an excellent source of protein and complex amino and one of the best sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.  Salmon is also an excellent source of minerals and vitamins including Magnesium, Potassium, Selenium and all the B-vitamins. Wild caught Trout has similar characteristics along with Mackerel.  

Kale: Kale has some of the highest concentrations of Vitamins and minerals across all vegetable types.  Kale is also rich in bioactive compounds such as Isothiocyanates and Indole-3-Carbinol that can reduce the risk of cancer.

Seaweed: Seaweed has high concentrations of  Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese.  It has various bioactive compounds, including phycocyanins and carotenoids that  reduce inflammation and is the most concentrated natural source of iodine. 

Garlic: Garlic is high in vitamins C, B1 and B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese and Selenium. It also has a compound known as allicin that studies show to lower blood pressure and reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) while raising HDL (good cholesterol). 

Shellfish: Clams are one of the best sources of  vitamin B12 and has other nutrients including Vitamin C, B Complex-Vitamins, Potassium, Selenium and Iron. Oysters supply six times the RDA for Zinc, two times the RDA for Copper, and B12 and Vitamin D and other nutrients. Mussels also possess many of these nutrients.  It's no wonder Bouillabaisse is so popular.  

Liver (Hormone free/grass-fed): A 100 gram portion (3.5 ounces) of beef liver contains 1176 percent of the RDA for Vitamin B12, 50 percent of the RDA for Vitamins B6, B5, Niacin and Folate, 201 percent of the RDA for Vitamin B2, 634 percent of the RDA for Vitamin A, 714 percent of the RDA for Copper, 30 percent of the RDA for Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium and 29 grams of protein.

Sardines: 90 grams of sardines (3 ounces) contain 107 percent of the RDA for Vitamin D, 113 percent for Vitamin B12, 21 percent of the RDA for calcium and 52 percent of selenium.  They are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Be careful if they are packed in any kind of flavoring because they can be high in sodium.  The best  is sardines packed in water or fresh sardines.  

Blueberries: Blueberries possess significant antioxidants relative to most other fruits. This includes  anthocyanins and various phytochemicals, some of which demonstrate positive effects on brain health.  Studies have also found that obese men and women had  lower blood pressure and reduced LDL cholesterol as a result of blueberries added to the diet.

Eggs (Hormone free/organic): Eggs are highly nutritious and an excellent source of calcium.  Significantly, studies have shown that concerns about cholesterol related to eggs are unfounded. Eggs are nutrient dense with multiple vitamins, minerals and various nutrients. Studies have also shown that eggs promote weight loss due to the fact that they satisfy hunger after a small portion. You can also buy eggs that have Omega-3 added as a supplement.  

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This list is by no means exhaustive. There are numerous nutrient dense foods particularly across vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Any simple search on the Internet will reveal more and more of them. But the decision to pursue the high-fiber/nutrient dense approach is up to you.  In time you will no doubt find that you have lost weight without sacrificing taste or the satisfaction of a filling meal. Better yet you will be adding foods to your diet that are high in nutrition, antioxidants and other compounds that prevent the onset of disease and just make you feel better.