Nutrient Density Over Calories

I am always shocked about how many people want to talk calories; and more specifically calories reduction. While calorie awareness is a great tool it is far from the be all and end all of food. We so often forget that not all calories are created equal. The source of the calories that we eat each day has a significant impact on our health, disease prevention, and health goals.

So, how do we determine if the calories we are consuming are from a good source? This is where we will have to understand the difference between foods that are calorie dense and foods that are nutrient dense. But first let’s understand what the word calorie truly means.

What is a Calorie?

A calorie was discovered in the 1800s in a lab using a device called a bomb calorimeter. 1 kcal (1000 cal) is the energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 degree celsius. While food its self is a source of calories we must digest and break down the food in order for the calories to be released to the body to be used as energy.

The thing is, our bodies aren’t bomb calorimeters and many things impact our body’s ability to release the energy from the food. Not to mention our body needs much more than just energy to run. It needs macronutrients like protein, fat and carbohydrates; along with micronutrients like vitamins and mineral. This is where we get into the sources of our calories matter.

Calorie-Dense Foods

Calorie-dense foods, contain high levels of calories per serving. These foods are high in energy (calories), but often lack the vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional components that are essential to supporting health. For example calorie dense foods could be baked goods, pops, processed meats, chips, pizza, and candy. Many of these foods also contain "empty calories," in that they provide energy without any other nutritional value ie. candy & pop. When considering eating to support your body people would want to be mindful of these calorie-dense foods and beverages.

Nutrient-Dense Foods

Nutrient-dense foods contain high levels of nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, but with fewer calories. These foods provide the most bang for your nutritional buck. They are higher in quality and generally are minimally processed. Nutrient-dense foods play an important role for everyone, offering the nutrients that your body needs to grow, repair, and function optimally.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients. Such as antioxidants, fibre, phytonutrients and a variety of vitamins and mineral. Meats, eggs and fish are nutrient-dense. They are a great source of protein, zinc, iron and B-vitamins. Many whole grains, including quinoa, barley, bulger and oats, are also nutrient-dense with minerals like calcium, iron and zinc.

While there are many foods that are considered either calorie dense or nutrient dense, there are several foods that fall somewhere in between.  These foods are an important to include in balanced eating. Some examples are avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds, nut butters, and hummus.

When eating for optimal health—whether that be disease prevention or management, weight loss, or general health—variety is always going to be your spice to life. Choosing from primarily whole or minimally processed sources and incorporating a variety of nutrient dense foods daily will help to ensure that you are getting all the vital nutrients that your body needs.

I encourage you the next time you sit down for a meal, remember to get the best nutrient bang for your buck!