COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, LEXINGTON, KY, 40546 FCS3-559 Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods and Beverages Ingrid Adams, Department of Nutrition and Food Science ach day we are bombarded with a range of food choices—chips, vegetables, candy, and ice cream. We decide whether we should have doughnuts and coffee for breakfast or oatmeal with blueberries? ShouldE we have pizza or a tossed salad for lunch? Many of us eat whatever we Nutrient-dense foods have more want and make food decisions nutrients per calorie than foods with little thought about how that are not nutrient dense. foods benefit our bodies. The Nutrient-dense foods contain a Healthy Eating Index is a tool small portion of their calories developed by the Center for Nu- from fat, sugar, or refined grains trition Policy and Promotion to and have more vitamins, miner- assess the nutritional quality of als, and protein. the diet of Americans. Informa- tion gathered from this docu- Why is Nutrient-Dense When we make ment shows that approximately Food the Best Choice? 74 percent of Americans need to We all need a certain amount nutrient-dense improve their diets. of calories and nutrients each choices we get the Even though many of us do not day in order to be healthy. The always choose the healthiest amount of calories and nutri- nutrients we need foods, we generally have good ents needed are based on our intentions. Often we do not have age, sex, activity level, and how without consuming the time, money, or skills that healthy we are. If we eat too would allow us to make the best many foods high in fat and excess calories. food decisions. This publication sugar, it is easy to go over the provides information that allows amount of calories we need you to make healthier food deci- without getting the nutrients to sions by choosing nutrient dense keep us healthy. Making nutri- foods. ent-dense choices can ensure we get the nutrients we need with- What is Nutrient Density? out consuming excess calories. Nutrient density refers to the When a person eats more calo- amount of nutrients in a food ries than they need, the body compared to the amount of stores the extra calories as fat, calories. which can lead to a person being overweight or obese. Agriculture and Natural Resources • Family and Consumer Sciences • 4-H Youth Development • Community and Economic Development EXTENSION It is important to eat the correct How Do I Choose Foods Make Healthy Substitutions amount of calories and take part that are Nutrient Dense? For example, reduce the amount in physical activity so the body Include foods from the five food of sugar in recipes and use can burn up extra calories. groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, healthy oils such as olive, cano- Research shows the food choices dairy, and protein foods (Table la, corn, safflower oils instead of we make affect our health. Mak- 1). There are a variety of food butter, shortening or lard. Add ing nutrient-dense choices can choices within each group and whole grain to baked goods. prevent chronic diseases such as some foods within each group heart disease, stroke, hyperten- are more nutrient dense than sion, type 2 diabetes, and some others. Making a healthy food Read the Label types of cancer. choice begins with knowing Read the Nutrition Facts label what you need to eat each day. on packaged food to learn its How Do I Know if a Food nutrient density. For example, is Nutrient Dense? Choose More of the choose foods that are low in Nutrient-dense foods have: Following Foods Each Day: calories, salt, sugar, and fat (3 y y Fruits and vegetables grams or less fat per serving) Few added solid fats, such as y butter, margarine, shortening Whole grains like wheat and high in vitamins, minerals, or lard bread, brown rice, rye, and and fiber (5 or more grams fiber y Little added sugar whole-wheat pasta per serving). y y Fat-free or low-fat milk and Little added refined starch Fill Half your Plate with Fruit found in white bread milk products y y Seafood and Vegetables Small amounts of solid fats y naturally present in the food Lean meats, poultry, and eggs Choose red, orange, and dark- y y Beans, peas, nuts, and seeds green vegetables and fruit. Little added sodium from salt y and preservatives commonly Beverages such as vegetable Divide the other half of your used in ready-to-eat meals juice and fruit juices without plate in two, and include about 4 y Naturally occurring compo- added sugar ounces of protein and a starchy food of your choice. nents such as fiber still pres- Limit the Following Foods: ent in the food, that is, these y Sodium (cut back on pro- compounds have not been cessed foods such as commer- removed by processing cially prepared dinners, pot Even if you do not know the nu- pies, stews, chili, and canned trients present in certain foods, soups) remember that fruits, vegeta- y Solid fats such as butter, mar- bles, fat-free milk, lean meats, garine, shortening, and lard and whole grains are nutrient y Added sugar dense. y Refined grains, such as white Candy, pastries, chips, bacon, bread and sugar-sweetened beverages Prepare More Meals at Home are less nutrient dense. These Prepare meals that include foods contain added sugar, solid more vegetables, fruits, whole fats, and refined starch, and they grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy provide few essential nutrients. products, and protein foods that provide fewer calories and more nutrients. 2 Table 1: More and Less Nutrient-Dense Choices Food More Nutrient-Dense Choices Less Nutrient-Dense Choices Grains: Foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley Brown rice White rice or other cereal grain. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, Oatmeal White bread tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products. Whole-wheat or whole-grain Flour tortillas bread Noodles Whole-wheat tortillas Air-popped popcorn Whole-grain ready-to-eat cereals Fruit: Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be Apples Fruits and fruit juices with whole, cut-up, or pureed. Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as Bananas added sugar part of the fruit group. Berries and cherries Melons Kiwi Oranges Peaches Pears Pineapple Vegetable: Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, Broccoli Potato canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or Cauliflower Corn mashed. Carrots Parsnips Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the Leaf lettuce Beets vegetable group. Dark greens (kale, spinach, collard greens, parsley) Asparagus Tomatoes Onions and Garlic Peppers and Squash Protein: All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and Lean beef or lamb Pork peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered Fish Beef part of the protein food group. Beans and peas also are part of the Poultry Lamb vegetable group. Eggs Processed meats Shellfish Meat and poultry skin Dairy: All fluid milk products are considered part of this food Fat-free or low-fat milk Whole and flavored milk group. Foods made from milk also are part of this group if they Cheese Sweetened yogurts retain their calcium content. Foods made from milk that have little Yogurt to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Calcium-fortified soy beverages Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage) is also part of the dairy group. Two Scenarios, Two Options has no fat and little sugar, but sugar, no vitamin C, and small If you have a choice between an lots of vitamins C and A and amounts of vitamin A and fiber. orange or two oatmeal cookies about 8 grams of fiber. The The orange is more nutrient- for a snack, consider the nutri- oatmeal cookies contain about dense because it provides more ent density of the two products. five times as many calories (224) nutrients and fewer calories An orange contains 45 calories, as the orange, more fat and (Table 2). 3 You have low-fat milk, chocolate Choosing Nutrient-Dense y Choose low-fat or non-fat milk, and a sugar-sweetened Beverages milk instead of sugar sweet- soft drink in your refrigerator. Making nutrient-dense bever- ened beverages. y Which beverage is the most age choices also are important. Drink diet or low-calorie nutrient-dense? The most Many of us try to reduce the beverages instead of sugar- nutrient-dense beverage con- amount of calories in the food sweetened beverages. y tains the least amount of sugar, we eat but we often forget that Watch your portion sizes. fat, and calories and the most beverages are also a source of Choose smaller portions of amounts of other nutrients. The calories and they contribute your favorite drinks. low-fat milk contains the most to the amount of calories we References nutrients and the least amount should take in daily. The calories Adams, I. K. (2011). What is Nu- of calories, and therefore it is in beverages can really add up. the most nutrient-dense choice trient Density? Families, Food Remember these tips for choos- and Fitness Home. http://www. (Table 3). ing nutrient dense drinks. extension.org/pages/55447/what- Because you aim to eat nutrient- y Choose water first. is-nutrient-density. dense foods does not mean you y Drink water throughout the Academy of Nutrition and should never eat candy or cook- day. ies. These foods may be chosen y Dietetics. Practice paper of the Serve water with meals.