Eating healthy can be difficult, especially if you are in a woman’s weight loss plan. You want to eat right, but you don’t know how. One of the main things you need to learn to do is to eat foods that are nutrient-dense.
What is Nutrient-Dense?
What does nutrient-dense mean? A food that is nutrient-dense is known to have many minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that are essential for good health. Nutrient-dense whole foods are lacking in sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars like table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, all of which can lead to poor health conditions and obesity.
Many diets, specifically the American diet, tend to be rich with elements that promote energy, like calories, but they lack nutritional value. Nutrient-dense foods are fish, unprocessed meat, poultry, nuts, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables, not the packaged foods we commonly find ourselves reaching for.
5 Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods
It’s important to incorporate nutrient-dense whole foods into our diets to feel fuller longer and add nutritional value to what we eat, but it can be challenging to know where to start. Below are five nutrient-dense whole foods that are easy to find.
Salmon
Salmon is a type of fish that contains a substantial amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which are a crucial component for bodily function. Omega-3 fatty acids can help one reduce their risk of developing serious diseases and improve well-being.
However, salmon isn’t just known for containing healthy fatty acids. It also is rich in other nutrients and minerals, like selenium, magnesium, B vitamins, and potassium. Those who consume fatty fish like salmon regularly have been linked to lower risks of dementia, depression, and various other health conditions. Salmon is also very filling, and it contains very few calories. Besides a few spices, not much needs to be added to the preparation of this fatty fish.
Kale
There are many leafy green vegetable options available for consumption, but none of them are as nutrient-dense as kale. Kale is rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and fiber and is even considered a healthier green option than spinach.
A cup of kale can have as little as nine calories, which makes it an excellent option to add to a weight loss plan for women or men.
Potatoes
Potatoes are not only insanely affordable to purchase, but they are easy to prepare and full of copper, manganese, magnesium, vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, copper, and so much more. They are one of the most filling foods available, and as cooked potatoes cool, they form resistant starch, which itself has health benefits. Potatoes are very easy to add to a diet and can easily contribute to weight loss for women, and they don’t require much seasoning to be delicious.
Liver
The Western diet doesn’t consume much of organs, which are filled with various vitamins, proteins, and minerals. Instead, this diet focuses on the consumption of muscle meat, which tends to contain a less nutritious value.
The liver is one of the most nutritious organs to consume because it contains many nutrients; the reason the liver contains so many different nutrients is because it’s one of its functions.
Some of the nutrients that the liver can contain are:
- Vitamin B12
- Niacin
- Folate
- Vitamin B5
- Copper
- Iron
- Phosphorous
- Zinc
Egg Yolks
It is commonly known that egg yolks have an effect on dietary cholesterol; however, moderate amounts of egg yolk consumption does not do much to raise the bad cholesterol in the body, so egg yolks are safe to eat.
Egg yolks are extremely nutritious to eat because they are chock-full of nutrients, vitamins, protein, healthy fats, and minerals. Egg yolks contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that provide protection for the eyes and reduce your risk of certain eye diseases.
Not only are egg yolks so full of nutrients and vitamins, but they are cheap to purchase and simple to prepare, so they are easy food to add to any diet.
How to Add Nutrient-Dense Foods
Not only do you need an understanding of what nutrient-dense foods are, but you also need to understand how to incorporate them into your eating plan and eliminate other options. Below are a few weight loss tips for women.
- Change your rice option to brown rice, as white rice tends to have more starch.
- Drink coffee, water, and other unsweetened drinks instead of soda and sugary juices.
- Instead of chips, opt for nuts or vegetables.
- Switch in sweet fruit instead of candy.
Adding nutrient-dense foods into a diet is not difficult to do, but many of us lack the knowledge to do so. Now that you have a basic knowledge of several nutrient-dense whole foods and understand how they can benefit you, you can begin to make changes.