How to Make Your Meals More Nutrient-Dense
Nutrient density is about eating foods that have a higher amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than calories. For example, a 2 oz. serving of cereal in a bowl contains 200 calories with a few micronutrients while the same serving of broccoli or avocado contains 30 calories plus vitamins A, C, K, magnesium, and calcium.
In this case, broccoli and avocado are nutrient-dense foods while cereal is the calorie-dense one. Why is prioritizing nutrient-density more important than calorie-density? It’s because calorie-dense foods provide you with plenty of energy for daily activities but can also contribute to weight gain.
Even with a hectic work schedule plus an exercise and dance practice session, you cannot use all the calories you’ve eaten. That unused energy will be stored as unwanted body fat.
By eating nutrient-dense meals, you make sure you receive the right amount of calories for your daily activities while not compromising on your health and fitness goals. So what should you do to eat nutrient-dense meals? Read on to find out.
1. Add bone broth as your soup
Animal bones contain a lot of nutrients. Making a broth out of them breaks down those hardened and hard-to-reach vitamins and minerals for consumption. A bowl of broth contains only 31 calories from protein and a few grams of carbs while being rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A, B, and a wide variety of omega fatty acids.
2. Eat fermented foods as your dessert
Fermented foods contain a rich amount of lactic acid. When fermented drinks like kombucha are made, harmless bacteria break down the sugar, tea, and yeast to produce lactic acid, B-vitamins, and other probiotics. Lactic acid is important because it makes your muscles move stronger and faster for dancing.
3. Let your meals be the topping for veggies
Plants will always be on top when it comes to nutrient-dense foods. No matter what your meal is, top it over a bed of vegetables. Sausage and egg for breakfast? Use it as toppings for spinach. Barbecue ribs for lunch? Top it over cauliflower rice. Steak for dinner? Serve it on top of asparagus, carrots, tomato, and broccoli.
4. Include raw foods in your meal
Although cooking makes food taste better and safe to consume, the problem with it is that some nutrients and enzymes are destroyed during the heating process. Another thing — cooked food is harder to digest than raw foods. Remember that raw foods aren’t limited to meat tartare, salmon sashimi, and oysters. Uncooked lettuce, blueberries, and Brussel sprouts are still raw foods.
5. Add more foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are called fat-soluble because they can be stored in your fatty tissues and dissolve in oil. They also come from nutrient-dense foods that have been mentioned above plus animal liver, kale, egg yolk, parsley, dairy, cantaloupe, and sweet potato.
6. Drink infused water
Forget about soda and commercially-made fruit drinks. Make your post-meal beverages more interesting by infusing them with a variety of nutrient-dense fruits. Water infusions are much healthier because they contain less sugar and keep you properly hydrated. Discover some water infusion recipes here.
7. Stay away from highly processed products
White bread, fast food, pastries, potato chips, white rice, cream cheese, you name it. These products have undergone multiple processes, have preservatives, or are genetically modified to the point that the most important nutrients have been stripped. As much as possible, cook your own meals with ingredients fresh from the local market.
The key tips for making your meals more nutrient-dense include knowing which food products are highly processed, avoiding eating them, and diversifying your plate. Only go for ingredients that are freshly harvested from the sea or land.
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