Nutrient or Caloric dense- Which one?

Walking through the clutter of nutrition information can really get mind boggling. However nutrition does not have to be complicated. By now you should probably know the KISS principle has a great value in life - Keep it Simple Stupid!

In todays post we will be looking at nutrient dense foods vs caloric dense foods.

A nutrient is a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and life.

A calorie is a unit of heat energy. 

Lets go back to Nutrition 101. What are the nutrient groups?

• Proteins
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Vitamins
• Minerals 
• Water

You have to remember this: 

1) Your body needs nutrients rather than calories to maintain itself.

2) Each food group has its own value of nutrients and calories in different percentages.

In concentrating on how much nutrient your food has rather than calories (which in any case you will be getting) your hunger will be satisfied quicker and in a much more wholesome way. If you are eating more nutrient rich food, it will satisfy your hunger faster and you will not eat more than you should. This is because quality nutrients are more wholesome. It will also keep you full longer avoiding the need for snacking. Have you ever realised how difficult it is to eat a good helping of salad, rather than 2 bags of potato chips that just suddenly seem to vanish from your hand?

A calorie in itself is not bad and your body needs calories especially if you have to gain weight and burn energy to carry on bodily functions. However not all calorie sources are necessarily healthy. There are empty calorie foods. Those are absolutely devoid of any nutrients. As a matter of fact they might have more anti-nutrients. These are foods like processed foods, refined foods, candies, sweets......

Nutrient dense foods are not as appealing to the taste as most calorie dense foods of today. Most foods that are labelled caloric dense in today's world are basically junk. Why? Most of the density comes from empty calories. 

The best sources of nutrient rich foods are vegetables and fruits. This is not to say that meats and dairy are not nutrients but what is important is the quality of meats and dairy. They are the richest source of proteins and fats and protein and fat again is a vital nutrient. 

What is the number one group of foods that doctors and dieticians recommend to people trying to lose weight? Veges and fruits. They are rich in vitamins and minerals but are really low in calories. How ever this is only one part of the puzzle. If we keep living on only vegetables and fruits which are mainly carbohydrates, where are we going to get protein and fat from? Remember all the nutrients are necessary.

Each food carries its own caloric value and nutrient value. That can also mean while a food is highly caloric its nutrient value can be absolutely 0. This in essence is empty calorie food. 

Now the question is how do you choose between nutrient and caloric dense foods?

Honestly if you do it right you don't have to. You can get the best of both worlds.

What is the right way? Choose and order your food quality wisely. The more quality, fresh foods you eat, the greater the nutrient density. Stay away from any processed and refined foods.

For those of you just starting off and wanting to keep it really simple you absolutely cannot go wrong with fresh Vegetables and Fruits. Start off here, get your diet and nutrition in order as you start to find out what you should and should not be eating.

To your health.

I am sure this post helped you out. If you know anyone else who will find this useful please share this with them. Go ahead and leave your comments or feel free to ask questions.