Nutrient density in the diet

Nutrient density is one of the most important points for the elaboration of our diet. If we do not have an in-depth knowledge of the content of nutrient density, we will end up preparing a biased and ineffective diet for the practical purposes we are looking for. This subject can be somewhat complex, especially because it is one of the most manipulated by food chains. To thoroughly understand everything about it, we present the following guide, where we will review the basic concepts of nutrient density and the practical purposes it has in the foods we eat every day. What is nutrient density?

Nutrient density is used to determine the level of representation of a nutrient according to the energy value of the food. It is something like analyzing whether the correspondence between calories and nutrients in the food is reasonable. Just because a certain product has a high number of nutrients does not mean that it is the most recommended, for this we must first know if the calories that support it are not excessive for the nutrients it provides.

The idea is to look for products that have the highest amount of nutrients and the lowest amount of calories, the sharper this ratio is, the better the quality of the product we are ingesting. What foods are high in nutrients?

Nutrients are composed of micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins and various substances potentially beneficial for our organism, and macronutrients of vital importance for the correct balance of our diet.

A food has a higher nutritional density if it provides more nutrients per calorie than another. 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 nutrient load, otherwise it does not make sense to eat few calories at the expense of depriving our body of the compounds it needs to stay healthy. Incorrect application of nutrient density. Consequences: If you do not master nutrient density correctly, you may end up consuming foods that are harmful to your body and high in calories, just because the nutritional label sells the product as rich in nutrients. The truth is that for a person with an endomorphic body this mistake is impermissible. What he will be achieving is that his body will gain weight very easily, when he could have had access to products much richer in nutrients without the need to provide so many calories to the body.

Another very significant consequence is that once you have completed the calorie intake proposed in your diet plan, it is most likely that the minimum amount of nutrients that your body demands has been left unsatisfied. Assess the type of nutrient your diet needs: Now that you know the meaning of nutrient density and the role it plays in our diet, it is important that you break another bias that revolves around it. A highly nutritious food is not necessarily a food that we need. As we have already seen, if a food has a high amount of nutrients in relation to the calories it provides, it is a nutritious food. However, when we think of a fruit, we know that they are rich in nutrients, because their caloric level is low. But the first thing you should think about is whether you need the nutrient that fruit will provide, maybe your diet does not seek to provide more vitamin C, and in that case a highly nutritious food like orange would not be fulfilling any function in your diet.

In any case, assess what kind of nutrients your diet demands, and try to consume foods that provide fewer calories and are rich in that nutrient. Knowing this concept you will be able to make the most of every calorie that enters your body.