Nutrient Dense Foods

• Foods which are nutrient dense are the healthiest foods for you. These foods are also considered foods that can help you lose weight and keep it off.
• Good examples of these foods include certain beneficial oils and fats like flax seed oil and olive oil, spices and herbs which are full of natural compounds, and seeds like sunflower and pumpkin.
• Eating a wide variety of nutrient dense foods will ensure that your body gets all the nutrients needed, with very little fat and far fewer calories.

Foods which are nutrient dense are the healthiest foods for you. These foods are also considered foods that can help you lose weight and keep it off. Anyone who has tried traditional diets knows that when you drastically change your diet, you can end up spending most of the time hungry, even daydreaming and thinking about food because you feel deprived. In addition, skipping meals and cutting down on the amount of food you eat can result in having side effects such as tiredness or a lack of energy, poor concentration and memory, and irritability. Instead of denying yourself much needed nutrition in order to save a few calories, you only end up sending your body into starvation mode so that your body conserves calories and becomes much more efficient at holding onto fat cells stubbornly. To make effective changes, instead of “diet foods”, eat an abundance of nutrient dense foods. You can eat until you are completely full, and still lose weight, because these foods pack a terrific nutrient punch yet have very few calories.

Nutrient dense foods can be foods that you would not think of eating everyday. Good examples of these foods include certain beneficial oils and fats like flax seed oil and olive oil, spices and herbs which are full of natural compounds, and seeds like sunflower and pumpkin. Many more of these healthy foods include whole grains like oatmeal, barley, wheat, and bulghar, nuts, beans, peas, fruits and vegetables. Eating a wide variety of nutrient dense foods will ensure that your body gets all the nutrients needed, with very little fat and far fewer calories. One great side effect can be unexpected weight loss as well as a healthier mind and body. When your body has everything needed to work at optimum efficiency, every system can increase in performance and function, including your metabolism.

Many diseases and medical conditions are caused by a deficiency of certain needed nutrients in your diet. One broad class of these nutrients are antioxidants that help fight free radicals in your system. Antioxidants can help you prevent the onslaught of many modern diseases and cell damage. Fruits and vegetables are nutrient dense and full of natural occurring antioxidants. Berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries pack a big nutrient wallop, and are some of the most dense foods when it comes to keeping you healthy.

If you are trying to lose weight, whether you need to lose five pounds or fifty pounds, the first step is to change your eating habits. Examine the foods you are eating, and determine which are empty calories containing few or no nutrients and then change these foods to ones which fulfill the same need but are nutrient rich. If you want something sweet try some dried fruit like figs, raisins or prunes, and this will satisfy your sweet tooth while providing many nutrients, enzymes and fiber. If you are craving a salty snack, try a handful or two of heart healthy and nutrient rich nuts such as walnut, almonds, and brazil nuts. Do this instead of consuming potato chips or corn chips. This does not mean that you can never indulge again or savor the taste of things like chocolate cake or lemon meringue pie, but at least ninety five percent of your daily calories should come from foods that are very high in nutrients and very low in calories. If possible, make your favorite treat from scratch, and try to make it as nutritional as possible. That way when you do indulge, you do not have to feel so guilty, and your treat offers more nutrients than the previous versions.

When you eat mainly nutrient dense foods, your body and your metabolism can work that much better, striking a better balance between energy needed and calories burned. You can eat these healthy foods all day long and it is still possible to lose weight. This is the opposite of the traditional diets, which advises to cut back on the amount of food you eat. You do not have to give up food, simply replace bad choices with good healthy options that offer a wide variety and large amounts of nutrients that your body needs.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.