Tag Archives: nutrition

Calorie-Dense vs. Nutrient-Dense Foods

We can get confused easily by what to eat. There are hundreds of diets out there, thousands of foods, and your wallet can only stretch so far. How are you supposed to know what the right foods to eat are? If you’re determined to eat healthy or lose weight but don’t necessarily want to follow a diet, consider looking at your food choices through the lens of calorie-dense versus nutrient-dense food.

What is a Calorie?

First off, what is a calorie? Quite simply, a calorie is a unit of energy. Counting calories is one method to monitor your weight. An easier and perhaps more effective approach, however, might be to pay attention to whether the foods you are eating are calorie-dense or nutrient-dense.

What Does Calorie-Dense Food Mean?

Energy is vital for your life, and calories deliver energy, so calories=good, right?
Not so fast. You might think that the more calories you can get out of a meal, the better value for your dollar, but you’d be mistaken. When we eat and drink more calories than we use, our bodies store the excess calories as fat. This can lead to weight gain and obesity, which in turn puts you at higher risk for many chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Not only are these illnesses expensive, they can be deadly.

So, what is calorie-dense food? Calorie-dense food is generally considered “empty-calorie” food: high in energy (calories) but low in nutritional value. These are foods you want to avoid—they are “empty” and “junk” food because they don’t help your health. They harm it.

Which Foods are Calorie Dense?

Examples of calorie-dense food include:

  • Highly processed foods, which have been stripped of their nutrients and have had fat, sugar, and/or salt added to them.
  • Sugar
  • Butter
  • White bread
  • Processed meats, such as bacon, hot dogs, deli meat, and sausage
  • Cakes, pies, and doughnuts
  • Cookies
  • Candy
  • Fast food
  • Fried food, including potato chips
  • Sugary drinks, like soda, sports drinks, juice, and energy drinks

What Does Nutrient-Dense Food Mean?

All foods contain nutrients, but some foods have more nutrients and are more beneficial to our bodies. These nutrient-dense foods are great sources of long-lasting energy, health, and vitality. They don’t provide as many calories as calorie-dense or “junk” food, and are high in nutrients that are important for your health, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Which Foods are Nutrient Dense?

Examples of nutrient-dense food include:

  • Fresh fruits
  • Vegetables (fresh or frozen)
  • Whole grains
  • Legumes, like beans, peas, tofu, and lentils
  • Lean protein, such as baked, skinless chicken
  • Nuts and seeds

Calorie-Dense vs. Nutrient-Dense: What to Eat

Research shows the average American has a diet that is energy-rich but nutrient-poor. This has huge impacts on our nation’s health.

A meta-analysis of scientific studies on people between the ages of 28 and 66 shows a significant link between choosing nutrient-dense foods and healthy body weights. If you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, follow a diet high in nutrient-dense foods and avoid or limit calorie-dense foods.

How to Follow a Nutrient-Dense Diet

It can be hard to change habits. The benefits, however, are great. Here are a few small changes you can make to your meals to eat a healthier, nutrient-dense diet.

  • Replace sugary drinks with water. Try adding a slice of lemon if you like a bit more flavor.
  • Eat veggie sticks or a piece of fruit as an appetizer before your main course. This trick will help you feel fuller before you start a meal.
  • Add extra veggies to your dinner—as toppings, sides, or even the entrée.
  • Snack on fresh fruit, like an apple or orange, instead of sugary sweets.
  • When you crave something crunchy, try a small handful of nuts instead of salty pretzels or chips.
  • Switch from white pasta to brown rice.
  • Try a Meatless Monday and fix black bean tacos or vegetarian chili for a change.
  • Incorporate more of the top 9 cheapest and healthiest green veggies into your everyday meals.

Read more tips for healthier eating and consider scheduling a nutrition consultation with your primary care physician. Your health is worth it!

Nutrition

Top 9 Cheapest and Healthiest Green Veggies

Doctors and parents say “eat your greens!” for good reason. Full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, green veggies are good for you. These foods lower your risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. But they aren’t always cheap. ($2 for an avocado, anyone?) Eating a healthy diet is possible on a budget, though. Read on to uncover the nine most healthy and inexpensive green vegetables, and how to best eat them.

1. Cabbage

Cabbage tops our list as the #1 lowest cost green vegetable with the highest amount of nutrients. In fact, it’s the cheapest fresh green veggie of all the ones the USDA has studied! Studies show this superstar may protect against cancer, especially lung and esophageal cancers, and lower your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol levels. Cheap + healthy = cabbage.

How to cook cabbage: Eat cabbage raw. Braise, sauté, or roast it. Add to soups. Shred onto tacos or into coleslaw. Eat it fermented, as sauerkraut.

2. Romaine Lettuce

Romaine lettuce is one of the most affordable leafy greens. The USDA recommends you eat at least a half cup of green leafy plants every day. While iceberg lettuce is a veggie option that’s light on your pocketbook, as a dark leafy green, romaine lettuce is better for you. It has vitamins A and K, which are linked to lower risk of heart disease. Romaine lettuce also contains folic acid, which is important for healthy pregnancy, male fertility, and preventing depression. So, get more for your dollar at the grocery store and choose romaine.

How to eat romaine lettuce: Rinse, dry, and eat raw in salads. Try lightly grilling. Use lettuce leaves as wraps.

3. Beet Greens

Budget-friendly beet greens: a dark leafy vegetable, they are so healthy. With a flavor like kale (which almost made our list, too!), beet greens have vitamin K, which is linked to lowering chances of type 2 diabetes, and potassium, calcium, and riboflavin. Beets are usually sold with the greens attached, making it a two-for-one deal. Sometimes you can even get the greens for free, since some folks discard them and just eat the roots. Ask around at the farmers market.

How to cook beet greens: Sauté with olive oil and garlic or just add to frittatas, soups, or whole-grain pasta dishes in the last few minutes of cooking.

4. Broccoli

Broccoli is a green powerhouse, with loads of vitamins C and K, which may lower your risk of some types of cancer. It’s also one of the cheapest vegetables to buy and easy to find and use in many different dishes. Remember, the whole head can be eaten. If it’s a bit bitter for you, try peeling the outer layer of broccoli’s stem first.

How to cook broccoli: Eat raw. Blanch. Steam in the microwave or on the stovetop. Sauté. Roast. Add to stir fries, egg dishes, salads, soups, and casseroles.

5. Zucchini

A gardener’s delight, zucchini grows easily and quickly. It has vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B6, which may protect against diabetes. Zucchini also helps your digestion and, with its cheap cost, your wallet.

How to cook zucchini: Great raw, steamed, and grilled. Try shredding into a salad, cooking a batch of fritters, or making “zoodles.”

6. Green Peas

Good ol’ green peas. They are so common, and so good for you. Full of vitamins C and E, zinc, and other antioxidants that strengthen your immune system, green peas are a heart-healthy vegetable with bonus points for its low price. If you’re low on cash and want to eat healthy and feel full, pick protein-packed green peas.

How to cook green peas: Boil briefly, steam, or sauté. Easy addition to almost any dish near the end of cooking time.

7. Green Beans

One of the most affordable green veggies when they’re canned, green beans have vitamins A, K, and C, plus a healthy dose of protein and fiber. Often, you’ll find cut green beans less expensive than whole.

How to cook green beans: Eat raw when fresh. Lightly steam. Add to soups near the end of cooking time.

8. Celery

Take care of your heart: eat more celery! Celery is so full of nutrients, including flavonoids, vitamin C, lunularin, phthalides, fiber, and other antioxidants, and it’s one of the most loved, budget-friendly vegetables.

How to cook celery: Eat raw (kids love ants on a log!). Sauté with onions and carrots to start dishes. Add to soups and stir fries.

9. Okra

This Southern favorite is a low-fat, low-calorie way to get your vitamins A and C, magnesium, and folate. Frozen okra often costs less money than the harder-to-find fresh kind here in New England.

How to cook okra: Steam, sauté, grill, or roast. Add to gumbo and casseroles.

Nutrition

Are Sugar Rushes Real?

You’ve probably been to a birthday party and heard parents commenting on their kids’ sugar rush. Or sighed yourself at the hyperactive energy on display after a round of trick-or-treating or Valentine’s Day candies. But are sugar highs fact or fiction?

It turns out sugar rushes are a myth. Scientists have looked at what happens to your body after you eat a lot of sugar. You don’t get a sugar “high” or a rush of energy; you crash, actually! After about an hour, you feel more tired and worse than you did before eating sugar. While sugar highs aren’t real, cutting down on sugar is still a good idea. Let’s look at why.

What Is Added Sugar?

There are many types of sugar: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, corn syrup, palm sugar, molasses, maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, maltose, etc. Nutritionally, sugars are fairly similar. They are simple carbohydrates consisting of glucose, fructose, and/or sucrose. You don’t need any added sugar in a healthy diet.

Why Is Sugar Bad for Us?

Sugar rushes may be fake, but sugar crashes, tooth decay, and the risk of serious medical conditions when we eat too many sweets is real. Why is excess sugar unhealthy?

Our livers turn excess sugar into fat. Too much sugar can cause fat to be deposited on our waist. This type of fat, known as visceral fat, is particularly harmful to our health. It increases the risk of serious health issues, heart disease and type 2 diabetes among them.

How Much Sugar Can I Eat?

The American Heart Association recommends limiting daily sugar intake to less than 6 teaspoons for women and children, and less than 9 teaspoons for men. Babies and toddlers under the age of two should have no added sugars. The average American adult eats a whooping 77 grams (or 18 teaspoons) of sugar per day. And the numbers for American children are even worse.

To live longer, healthier lives, we need to consume less added sugars.

Where Does Added Sugar Come From?

We don’t need added sugars, and we’re getting too many. Where is it all coming from?

Sugary drinks are a big culprit, especially soft drinks. In America, this accounts for more than 47% of all added sugars we eat. Look at what foods you’re eating, read food labels, and try to cut back on these common sources of added sugar:

  • Soda
  • Candy and gum
  • Baked goods (brownies, cakes, pies, doughnuts, pastries, etc.)
  • Frozen treats (ice cream, frozen yogurt, popsicles)
  • Sports and energy drinks
  • Juice
  • Processed, store-bought foods like cereals, breads, energy bars, yogurt, jelly and jams, salad dressings, ketchup, tomato sauce, and BBQ sauce
  • Large amounts of dried fruit
  • Flavored milk
  • Coffee and tea

What About “Healthy” Sugars?

We can compare sugars by looking at where they come from and how much they are processed. White or table sugar and corn syrup, for example, are highly processed, and both are shown to have poor effects on human health. If you substitute date sugar or molasses, which are less processed, you’ll get more minerals and antioxidants. That’s not to say these substitute sugars are good for you—they’re still added sugar—but they are less bad for you.

Another way to consider sugar is by looking at the glycemic index (GI), or the rate at which your blood sugar level is raised. The higher the GI value, the more blood sugar levels are raised. Raised blood sugar levels can lead to disease. White sugar and corn syrup have a high glycemic index. Lower GI values can be had in sugars like agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup. Unfortunately, many of these so-called healthier sugars are also more expensive.

Fruit naturally contains some sugar. But unlike most foods with added sugar, fruit has a lot of other nutrients that we need for a balanced diet. Fruit is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium, folate, and antioxidants. The fiber helps your body absorb the fruit’s sugar more slowly. Aim to eat two cups of whole fruit per day.

How to Reduce Sugar in Your Diet

It’s tempting to think you can simply substitute “bad” sugar for “healthy” sugar. The reality is that while healthier sugars like agave syrup may be a little better for you, they aren’t good for you either. Too much sugar is still too much sugar!

If you’re baking from scratch, replace sugar in a recipe with spices, unsweetened applesauce, and/or or mashed banana, or sub a plant-based sweetener such as stevia or monk fruit. You can usually reduce the amount of sugar called for by about one-third and often not notice the difference.

If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth or enjoy a quick snack or easy dessert, try a piece of fruit! Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit are all healthy choices.

And if you do indulge in a highly sugared food, take a smaller portion and eat it slowly.

Learn more about a heart-healthy diet here.

To sum up, some types of sugar are better for you than others, but sugar is still sugar. Our advice is to cut down on your sugar intake. Choose foods with little or no sugar listed in the ingredient list, eat whole fruits when you crave something sweet, and pick water instead of sugary beverages. Less sugar, more fruit, please!

General News

Nutrition: 101

Nutrition—what does it actually mean? Yes, nutrition is the biological process of providing your body with proper foods for growth and function, but it’s also more than that. Nutrition is about making informed decisions to better your physical, mental and emotional health. Let’s discuss some manageable ways to focus on nutrition for you and your family.

 

Healthy Eating

While there are many different resources out there, the USDA recommends that your meals consist of:

  • half vegetables and whole fruits
  • one quarter whole grains
  • one quarter protein
  • some healthy fats (such as nuts, seeds, olive and coconut oils)

Food choices will be different for everyone and dependent on food access, affordability, traditions and cultures, and food preferences (including vegetarianism, veganism, etc.).

With this new way of approaching food, your main focuses will be to eat more nutritious foods, trying a variety of nutritious foods and being careful not to restrict certain foods or go on fad diets.

When you start to eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats, you’ll start to see that:

  • your digestive system works more efficiently
  • you feel less hungry between meals (preventing junk food snacking)
  • your energy increases

As your body grows accustomed to new and nutritious foods, you’ll see that you start eating less refined carbohydrates and refined sugars which contribute to poor diet, weight gain, and illnesses.

Try this: Include at least one new nutrient-dense food into every meal.

 

Physical Activity

Keeping your body active lowers your risk of many illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression. When you eat and drink, you’re taking in calories that your body uses for normal functioning. However, Americans tend to eat larger portions than needed—and usually more refined carbohydrates and sugars—leaving an excess of calories just waiting to be burned!

Remember, you can’t exercise your way from a bad diet. This means that if you’re looking to lose weight, exercise alone will not work. The harmony of eating healthier foods and moving your body will help you maintain a healthy weight. Try to keep the following in mind:

  • Walking helps your body to digest its food
  • Muscles need carbohydrates and protein for energy and muscle repair
  • The more intense the exercise, the more calories you burn

When adopting healthier lifestyle habits, it’s also important to learn to listen to your body. For instance, if you’re recovering from the flu, your body needs rest and fluids more than it needs intense exercise.

Try this: Incorporate 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine. This could mean taking the stairs, parking at the far end of parking lots, and walking around your office building during lunch—any movement is better than no movement.

 

Emotional Health

Emotional health is another important aspect of your nutrition. Emotions can greatly affect food and exercise choices. There are many different reasons for this including stress, family celebrations and obligations, and “emotional eating.”

A quick note on emotional eating: everyone has experienced eating while bored, stressed or otherwise emotional. If you have trouble controlling emotional eating, please speak with your health care provider right away.

Eating healthy meals and snacks will help fuel your body appropriately making exercise easier and better for your body. Exercise can:

  • increase your overall energy and boosts your mood
  • help you sleep better at night
  • reduce stress, anxiety, depression symptoms
  • increase self-esteem and confidence

Consider your emotions when you crave “junk food,” or when you don’t feel like exercising. Is there something going on in your life? Will you feel better after exercise, a healthy meal, or rest?

Try this: Keep a record or journal of how exercise and healthy foods make you feel. This information can serve as motivation if you need a boost.

 

Adopting a nutritious lifestyle will be different for everyone. Take it one step at a time, be patient with yourself, and enlist the help of a friend for extra accountability. If you need support and guidance to get started, speak with your primary care provider.

Nutrition