Healthiest Foods You Can Eat

The term "superfood" comes up pretty frequently in discussions about nutrition. Normally people view these as the healthiest foods you can eat. To break this down a little further, the scientific term for superfood is nutrient density or nutrient dense foods. Foods that are high in nutrient density provide a lot of nutrition such as important vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients for fewer calories. Basically, you're getting a lot of the nutrients that your body needs to function and achieve good health. These foods give you the most bang for your buck.

Why are Nutrient Dense foods so Important?

Today it is a big problem where we see most people deficient or low in at least one or more nutrients. For example, iron deficiency anemia is very common today showing a lot of different symptoms. A lot of other symptoms and health problems can arise with not getting enough essential nutrients that your body needs. So these nutrient dense foods or superfoods can help with chronic diseases, diabetes, weight management, immune health, energy levels, digestive health, and even some cancers.

The Most Nutrient Dense Foods

This paper written in 2022 (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.806566/full), goes into detail and has a few charts showing highly nutrient dense foods. It seems that the most nutrient dense foods are liver and other organs. Followed closely by small, dried fish and dark green leafy vegetables.

(A chart which ranks superfoods and nutrient density)

It is clear that the top nutrient dense foods are mainly animal products such as organs, beef, eggs, and milk. It may be surprising to some people that chicken is low on this list, as it doesn't have that many key nutrients. Nuts and quinoa are also normally viewed as a superfood, but as we can see they are also not that high up on that list. The main rule for any eating pattern is still individualization, as some people may be lactose intolerant for example can aren't able to consume milk. I am not saying to only eat the top foods listed here. But if you want to live healthfully and make sure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs it would be important to include those foods that fall in the "very high" category of nutrient density. Including the top foods here is one of the best things you can do for your overall health.