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What are Nutrient-Dense Foods?

Nutrient-dense foods are your best friends on the journey to eating healthy. Nutrient-dense meals have tons of nutrients while also containing just a few calories (1). Eating vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, skinless poultry, lean meat, fish, seeds, and nuts, are all nutrient-dense low-calorie options to consider (2).

Here are some ideas for a day filled with nutrient-dense meals.

Breakfast:

Start your day with Greek yogurt and berries. Mix together a bowl of Greek yogurt and a handful of mixed berries like strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries. Drizzle a teaspoon of honey, and you are all set for your breakfast (3).

Lunch:

A crunchy cool noodle salad is delicious and full of healthy nutrients. For the salad dressing, mix together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 garlic cloves (minced), 1 tablespoon sesame oil, juice and zest of 1 lemon, 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and ½ a jalapeno pepper (minced).

For the salad, cook 7 to 8 ounces of thin rice noodles. Toss in a cucumber sliced, 2 cups of peas cooked for 2 minutes, 6 scallions thinly sliced, 2 tablespoons each of mint leaves, basil leaves, and cilantro leaves roughly chopped, and ½ a cup of roughly chopped peanuts. Enjoy the goodness of fresh herbs and vegetables (4).

Snack:

Snacks help you to prevent over-eating at mealtime and also can help reduce your hunger. A super fantastic and quick snack can be made with almonds and raisins. Take 1 cup each of raisin and almonds. Rinse them with water. Put them in a food processor. Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and whirl away! After mixing sufficiently, take the mixture out and make balls or bars as you like. You can roll it in oatmeal as well. (5).

Dinner:

Greek-style grilled chicken with roasted vegetables is a classic healthy dinner option. Take 4-6 chicken breast in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar, oregano, 1 teaspoon of paprika powder, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, juice of a lemon, 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 finely chopped small onion, and salt according to taste. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Grill them on each side for 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked (6).

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References:

1.) National Cancer Institute. Definition of nutrient-dense food – NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms – National Cancer Institute [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2021 Apr 25]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/nutrient-dense-food

2.) Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, Appendix 6 [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2021 Apr 25]. Available from: https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/previous-dietary-guidelines/2015#n

3.) Lai M. Fresh Greek Yogurt with Mixed Berries – Recipe [Internet]. FineCooking. 2019 [cited 2021 Apr 25]. Available from: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/fresh-greek-yogurt-with-mixed-berries

4.) Liz. Crunchy Cold Noodle Salad [Internet]. Floating Kitchen. 2019 [cited 2021 Apr 25]. Available from: https://www.floatingkitchen.net/crunchy-noodle-salad/

5.) Cinnamon-Raisin-Almond Balls [Internet]. SparkRecipes. [cited 2021 Apr 25]. Available from: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1093441

6.) Nutrient Dense Mediterranean Bowl [Internet]. Olive and Mango. [cited 2021 Apr 25]. Available from: /nutrient-dense-mediterranean-bowl/