Changing Your Diet: Choosing Nutrient-rich Foods

What is a “nutrient-rich” food?

A nutrient-rich food contains many vitamins and minerals (also called micronutrients) but not very many calories. Vitamins and minerals nourish your body and help to keep you healthy and reduce your risk for chronic diseases. You can get these micronutrients through a variety of healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and lean meats and fish. Getting vitamins and minerals through food ensures that your body is able to absorb them properly.

What happens if I don’t get enough nutrient-rich foods in my daily diet?

If you don’t eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods, you may not be getting all the micronutrients your body needs. In fact, Americans tend to eat foods that are high in calories and low in micronutrients. These foods often also contain added sugar, sodium (salt), saturated fat or trans fat. Choosing these high-calorie, low-nutrient foods contributes to weight gain and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat. They add flavor, nutrients and variety to your diet. Look for colorful fruits and vegetables, especially dark green and orange vegetables. If you can, choose organically grown produce and fruit, as it can be more nutritious and should be free of pesticides.

Fish

Fresh fish should have a clear color, a moist look, a clean smell and firm, springy flesh. If good-quality fresh fish isn't available, choose frozen or low-salt canned fish. Poaching, steaming, baking and broiling are the healthiest ways to prepare fish. Wild-caught oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, are the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, but all fish contain some amount of this healthy fatty acid.

Poultry

Remove skin and visible fat before cooking. Chicken breasts are a good choice because they are low in fat and high in protein. Baking, broiling and roasting are the healthiest ways to prepare poultry.

Beans and other non-meat sources

Nutrient-rich, non-meat sources of protein can also satisfy the protein recommendations. A quarter-cup of beans, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds counts as an ounce toward your protein needs.

Beef, Pork, Veal and Lamb

Choose low-fat, lean cuts of beef or pork. Trim outside fat before cooking. Trim any inside, separable fat before eating. Lean beef and veal cuts have the word “loin” or “round” in their names. Lean pork cuts have the word “loin” or “leg” in their names. Baking, broiling and roasting are the healthiest ways to prepare meat. It is best to limit how often you eat beef, pork, veal and lamb, because even lean cuts contain a lot of fat and cholesterol when compared to other protein sources.

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