Eating fast-food, sugary snacks, and salty food doesn’t add much to your overall health. Here are four of the most nutrient-dense foods to try right now.
Everyone loves to eat their favorite foods. Whether you’re a meat-lover or have pasta with every dish, having a balanced diet will help with portion control, cravings, and having satiating meals. So instead of digging a pizza out of the freezer, consider four of the most nutrient-dense foods to try. From there, you’ll benefit from the vitamins and minerals while eating your guilty snacks from time to time.
What Makes Food Nutrient-Dense
Nutrient-dense foods often come packed with vitamins, minerals, and numerous other nutrients vital to your health. Additionally, it comes without excess sugars, sodium, and saturated fats.
Notable food groups with high nutrients include fruits, vegetables, non-fat and low-fat dairy, whole grains, unprocessed lean meats, fish and seafood, skinless poultry, nuts, and legumes.
Nutrient-Dense Foods to Consider Trying
Salmon
If you want to add more omega-3 fatty acids to your meals, salmon is the way to go. Not only is salmon delicious, but the body needs omega-3’s to function. A serving of salmon comes with omega-3’s, protein, vitamin B, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and so much more.
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Dark Leafy Greens
Some people find salads boring, but they can significantly impact your nutrient intake with a bit of variety. Dark leafy greens, such as arugula, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, cabbage, and microgreens, come with high amounts of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Additionally, they have vitamin C, A, K1, and B6.
Secondly, dark leafy greens have minimal carbohydrates, cholesterol, and sodium. Just make sure you wash your leafy greens thoroughly since salmonella can impact them.
Garlic
When trying to improve your dishes, a reliable flavor-enhancing ingredient is garlic. It can transform bland dishes into delicious and nutritious delicacies. Garlic offers numerous vitamins to your food:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B6
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Copper
- Manganese
- Selenium
Garlic also provides beneficial sulfur compounds, such as allicin. Lastly, garlic has various cancer-fighting properties, fighting colon and stomach cancers.
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Liver
The human ancestors of the past have been eating animals for millions of years. Many swear by including liver and organ meats into their diets as years have passed. The liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods to try for anyone who wants to get the most out of their meals.
The liver is essential for nutrient storage in the body, and consuming one offers numerous vitamins and minerals. A single liver can offer vitamins A, B2, B5, B6, and B12 while providing copper, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Lastly, it’s packed with 29 grams of protein per serving.
Achieving a balanced diet doesn’t have to become a sacrifice to your favorite foods. As long as you understand what goes into your body, you’ll prosper from your choices.
