Nutrient density in the creation of diets.

The term we will discuss below is perhaps one of the most important in terms of nutrition. Nutrient density is a complex concept, which tends to be misinterpreted and can be used to manipulate the perception we have of certain foods.

When we talk about the amount of nutrients that a certain food has, the logic indicates that we should look for foods that have the highest possible amount of them, and this is not entirely wrong. But if we stick with this idea, we are biasing the real nutritional information we need to know, because in nutrition, as you may have noticed, it's not all about quantity.

That said, we propose to go deeper into this topic. In this guide we will discuss the most important aspects of nutrient density, so that you can learn more about it and make better decisions.

What is nutrient density?

Nutrient density is nothing more than the amount of nutrients that a given food has in relation to its energy value. This apparently simple concept is of utmost importance in the elaboration of a diet, because if we are guided only by the calorie content, looking for a product low in energy, we may be consuming foods that do not have the desired amount of nutrients. At the same time, these foods could contain a number of harmful or worthless additives for our diet.

With nutritional density, what we seek to achieve is to include in our diet foods that have a high nutrient content in reference to their caloric intake. It is like trying to make the most of every calorie that enters our organism.

High nutritional density

A food has a higher nutritional density if it provides more nutrients per calorie than another. These nutrients are composed of micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins and various substances potentially beneficial for our body, and macronutrients of vital importance for the correct balance of our diet.

What we must do, taking into account the above, is not to be guided only by the caloric content of a food, but to realize that this low caloric content is correctly justified with a high load of nutrients, otherwise it makes no sense to ingest few calories at the expense of depriving our body of the compounds it needs to stay healthy.

Low nutritional density. Consequences.

The effects of sustaining a diet low in nutrients can be very negative. When nutrients are scarce in our organism, the sensation of hunger, anxiety and difficulty to be satiated increases. This is produced by a reflex of our body that seeks to alert us that we are not eating enough, even when we are ingesting high amounts of food daily, the alarm of shortages will remain, because our system understands that we have not covered its needs.

Another extremely negative aspect is the defensive reaction of our body to this phenomenon, because what it will seek is to slow down our metabolism to increase fat reserves and thus protect itself against prolonged periods of shortages.

If we add all this to the natural consequences of not consuming the right amount of vitamins, minerals or proteins, just to mention a few, respecting a diet rich in nutrients is a matter of first order in a healthy diet.

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