In a daily rush of our lives few people are able to find enough time to proper compose a healthy diet rich with nutrients. Nutrition specialists associate lack of nutrients in everyday menu of the Americans with energy-rich but nutrient-poor foods we consume.
In a longer perspective nutrient-poor diet results into rising rates of diabetes 2 and obesity on a national scale. In a daily rush of our lives few people are able to find enough time to proper compose a healthy diet rich with nutrients. Nutrition specialists associate lack of nutrients in everyday menu of the Americans with energy-rich but nutrient-poor foods we consume. In a longer perspective nutrient-poor diet results into rising rates of diabetes 2 and obesity on a national scale.
To fight this alarming trend back, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) issue Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5 years. The latest edition lists elements that are currently of the most use to us. Among those are potassium, dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, D, E, and C.
While there are a few definitions for nutrient-dense foods, in this context we speak about foods rich with vitamins and minerals and at the same time low in calories and various potentially harmful components, such as added sugars, cholesterol, sodium, saturated or trans fats etc. In order to switch to a more nutrient-balanced diet one needs to include into their everyday menu more of the following foods.
Peanuts are extremely rich with proteins that are of a lot of help in processes of muscle built and repair as well as heart support. Eating peanuts has proven to decrease overall risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, peanuts consumed with their red skin on them, as some scientists suggest, may get you a good bit of antioxidants.
While vitamin D is mostly obtained from sun exposure because of the fact that few foods have it in them, mushrooms appear to be ones of the most beneficial things to eat in order to get this very important nutrient. They also serve one well in terms of potassium supply as well as copper and selenium, that are altogether great supporters of healthy heart rhythm, red blood cells production and even cancer fighting.
According to USDA, dairy products bring us up to 70 percent of calcium, also adding to our ration such necessary elements as potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, riboflavin, vitamin A, folate, and vitamin D. Therefore milk, yoghurts, cheeses and other dairy foods are of a big use to people.
Fruits and Vegetables
Being rich as a group with all kinds of nutrients we need, fruits and vegetables are a great addition to everyone’s diet, especially people allergic to dairy foods. Dark green and orange vegetables, along with various fruits and berries, are a supply of magnesium, potassium, vitamins, A, C and E. Also, berries have significant antioxidant effect. Obviously, organically grown fruits and vegetables have considerable advantage over regular ones, but if including those in one’s diet is not an option, any kind of those will do perfectly well, especially an alternative is not eating nutrient-rich foods at all.
Beef, pork, chicken or lamb of low fat are the best choices in this category. Way of cooking also plays a big role on preserving nutrients in meat, with roasting, boiling or baking being the more preferable ones, providing a necessary supply of protein to our bodies. Seafood such as salmon, tuna, herring and mackerel, are a good source of vitamin D, especially helpful within periods of sun deficit.
For those anxious about how to put all of these foods into their diet – no worries here, it doesn’t mean that one’s diet must consist only or even mostly of the things listed above. Even a slight (though, preferably, gradual) increase of nutrient-rich foods in one’s everyday menu will do a lot of good in the future. Moreover, isn’t it a pleasure to eat something that is thoroughly chosen, properly cooked and packed with useful elements?