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Nutrient Density

“Nutrient density” is an expression used by nutritional scientists and dieticians to describe foods that are high in nutrients relative to the number of calories (or energy) provided by that food. This entry discusses nutrient density and Westernized diets and the challenges to classifying foods.

Defining Nutrient Density

Some contention exists regarding the best method to define and calculate the nutrient density of a food, and no scientifically valid definition exists. In general, however, a nutrient-dense food is one that provides a significant amount of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories from protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identifies nutrient-dense foods as the following:

Nutrient-dense foods and beverages provide vitamins, minerals, and other substances that may have positive health effects, with relatively few calories. The term “nutrient dense” indicates the nutrients and other beneficial substances in a food have not been “diluted” by the addition of calories from added solid fats, added sugars, or added refined starches, or by the solid fats naturally present in the food. Nutrient-dense foods and beverages are lean or low in solid fats, and minimize or exclude added solid fats, sugars, starches, and sodium. Ideally, they also are in forms that retain naturally occurring components, such as dietary fiber. All vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans and peas, unsalted nuts and seeds, fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products and lean meats and poultry—when prepared without solid fats or added sugars—are nutrient-dense foods.

Fruits and vegetables are typically thought of as being the most nutrient-dense foods available, providing a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and few calories. These foods include fruits and vegetables, in particular, but also beans, legumes, and whole grains.

On the other hand, foods that are low in nutrient density are foods that supply calories but relatively small amounts of micronutrients, sometimes none at all. Foods with low nutrient densities tend to be high in calories relative to the amount of micronutrients they provide. Examples of calorie-dense (or energy-dense) foods include highly processed and refined foods containing added sugars and fats, processed cereals, and alcohols.

Nutrient-Dense Foods and Westernized Diets

The difficulty with most Westernized diets is that fruits and vegetables are consumed much less frequently, and in smaller quantities, than fats, refined grains, and sweets. The variety of fruits and vegetables consumed is also limited, with apples, oranges, and bananas constituting almost 50% of the fruit consumed in the American diet. In terms of vegetables, potatoes and iceberg lettuce are the most commonly eaten. In contrast, the more nutrient-dense green leafy vegetables barely account for 0.2 servings per person per day. The consumption of vegetables and fruits, both in Europe and in the United States, is much less than the recommended amounts.

There are several reasons why nutrient-dense foods do not constitute a larger proportion of the diet. Nutrient-dense foods tend to be low in fat, sugar, and salt, the ingredients that are responsible for palatability of foods, therefore making the foods less appealing than energy-dense foods. Another reason why nutrient-dense foods are underconsumed is economic; on a per-calorie basis, fruits and vegetables tend to be much more expensive than energy-dense foods like fats and sweets. It has been demonstrated, however, that lowering the price of nutrient-dense food items leads to an increase in the purchase and consumption. Finally, energy-dense foods are typically more convenient due to their processed nature; fruits and vegetables are time-consuming to prepare and spoil quickly.

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