3 Nutrient Dense Foods Worth Adding to Your Diet
Nutrient dense foods give you a useful amount of vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and other beneficial nutrients relative to the calories they provide. They are not magic foods, and no single food can provide everything your body needs.
The aim is to include a variety of nutrient dense foods as part of a balanced diet. This can make it easier to get the nutrients you need while building meals that are filling, practical and enjoyable.
You do not need to follow a complicated diet or buy expensive supplements to improve the quality of your meals. Some of the most useful choices are ordinary foods that are easy to find and simple to prepare.
Here are three good examples to start with.
1. Dark Leafy Greens
Dark leafy greens are an excellent way to add more nutrients to your meals without making them unnecessarily heavy.
Examples include spinach, kale, broccoli, spring greens, Swiss chard and other leafy vegetables. Different vegetables provide different combinations of nutrients, so variety is useful.
Leafy greens can contribute fibre as well as vitamins and minerals, and they can form an important part of a healthy eating pattern.
One of their biggest advantages is that they are remarkably versatile.
You can:
- add spinach to eggs, soups or curries
- use kale or spring greens as a side dish
- add chopped greens to pasta or rice dishes
- include raw leaves in salads
- blend spinach into a smoothie
You don’t have to eat a huge bowl of salad every day. Adding a serving of vegetables to meals you already enjoy is often a much easier habit to maintain.
2. Beans and Pulses
Beans and other pulses are another useful addition to a nutrient-rich diet.
This group includes kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils and other varieties of pulses. They can provide protein and fibre, along with a range of vitamins and minerals.
The combination of protein and fibre can also help make meals more satisfying, which is useful when you’re trying to build an eating pattern that you can maintain over time.
Beans are particularly convenient because they can be used in many different types of meals.
Try adding them to:
- soups and stews
- chilli
- salads
- curries
- grain bowls
- wraps and baked dishes
Canned beans can also be a practical choice. Choose versions with little or no added salt where possible, and rinse them before use if appropriate.
There is no need to find one particular “best” bean. Different varieties have different characteristics, so choosing the ones you actually enjoy eating is a sensible place to start.
3. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a useful example of a nutrient dense food because they provide carbohydrates alongside fibre and a range of vitamins and minerals.
They can make a satisfying base for a meal without requiring complicated preparation.
Try them:
- baked whole
- roasted in wedges
- mashed as a side dish
- added to soups and stews
- combined with beans and vegetables for a simple meal
Sweet potatoes are also easy to combine with other nutrient dense foods. For example, a baked sweet potato served with beans and plenty of vegetables can provide a substantial and satisfying meal.
There is no need to treat sweet potatoes as a “fat-burning” food or assume that one particular vegetable will transform your health. Their value comes from what they contribute as part of an overall balanced eating pattern.
How to Add More Nutrient Dense Foods to Your Diet
You do not need to redesign your entire diet overnight.
A simple approach is to look at the meals you already eat and ask where you could add a little more nutritional value.
You might add spinach to an omelette, beans to a soup, or roasted sweet potato to a dinner that already needs a carbohydrate source.
Small changes can be easier to maintain than trying to completely change your eating habits at once.
It is also worth remembering that nutrient dense foods do not have to be unusual, expensive or difficult to prepare. Many are inexpensive staples that can be used in everyday cooking.
The NHS explains that a balanced diet involves a variety of foods in appropriate proportions and provides the wider context that this article needs.
The Bigger Picture
These three foods are useful examples, but they are not a complete diet by themselves.
A healthy eating pattern benefits from variety, including different vegetables and fruit, whole grains or other carbohydrate sources, protein-rich foods, and appropriate sources of dietary fat.
That is why the bigger goal is not to find a handful of supposedly perfect foods.
It is to build meals around a wide range of nutritious foods that you enjoy and can realistically continue eating.
That approach also fits neatly with our Balanced Diet: The Evidence Based Guide to Healthy Eating article, which looks at the wider principles behind a healthy diet.
Medical Disclaimer
This information is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition and should not be considered a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
Nutritional needs vary from person to person. If you have a medical condition, food allergy, are taking medication, or have specific dietary requirements, speak with your doctor or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet.
Do not rely on this article as a substitute for individual medical assessment or professional guidance.