Everyone’s talking about nutrient density - but what does it actually mean?

Have you heard the phrase nutrient density or seen a food described as nutrient dense? In the last few weeks, I’ve seen across food adverts and new dietary guidelines.

It’s a concept that can help you make healthy food choices, but it's not always well explained. So let’s take a closer look.

What is nutrient density?  

Density measures how much of something is packed into a given space. 

When we describe a food as 'nutrient dense', we mean a food that packs in lots of beneficial nutrients relative to the calories it provides.

Nutrient-dense foods are sometimes described as the opposite of “empty calorie” foods. Empty calorie foods provide energy (calories) but little to no beneficial nutrients.

Let's take an example: 

Five jelly babies and a banana both contain about 100 calories. The jelly babies provide calories from sugar, but negligible other nutrients. The banana provides

• around 3 grams of fibre
• 1.3 grams of protein
• about 10% of your daily potassium and vitamin C needs
• around 20% of your daily vitamin B6 needs

Plus other nutrients in smaller amounts.

So, despite containing a similar number of calories, the banana provides far more of the nutrients your body needs.

Why does nutrient density matter?  

As a nation, we’re not getting enough of the nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Only 4% of UK adults meet the recommended intake for dietary fibre (30 grams a day). Less than 0.1% follow all nine Eatwell Guide recommendations, which outline what a healthy diet looks like.

Research also suggests that it’s what’s missing from our diets (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) that predicts disease risk more than nutrients we eat too much of.

Most of the nutrition advice we hear focuses on what we should eat less of. But a nutrient dense lens helps us focus on what we need to eat more of, like wholegrains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, fibre and calcium.

Weight loss and nutrient density    

Conversations around weight loss zoom in on restricting calories. But a healthy diet is more than the right number of calories. And the amount of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein you need doesn’t reduce when you’re losing weight.

So eating nutrient dense foods becomes even more important when you’re eating fewer calories than usual. The arrival of GLP-1 medications is a good example.

GLP-1 and nutrient density 

If you’re using a GLP-1 medication to support weight loss, you'll know they cause a fall in hunger and appetite. This leads to eating less and as a result, food choices carry more nutritional weight.

A few biscuits might be equal to 10% of an adult's daily calories, but it might be 20-30% of the calories for someone using a GLP-1 medication. And because they don't contain many nutrients, it becomes harder to meet nutritional needs. 

Choosing healthy nutrient dense meals when using a glp-1 medication key to getting enough vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein while losing weight. 

What are the most nutrient dense foods?  

Researchers have come up with different scoring systems as a way of ranking foods according to their nutrient density, but there's no single agreed upon system. But broadly speaking, nutrient-dense foods include:

• fruits and vegetables (bright colours, lots of variety is great)
• wholegrains, such as wholemeal bread
• lentils, peas and beans
• low-fat dairy
• eggs, lean meat and plant proteins like tofu
• nuts and seeds

These foods are most nutrient dense when we cook and eat them with minimal added salt, sugar and saturated fat.

How to eat a more nutrient dense diet

To use nutrient density in a helpful way, think about swapping, not restricting. Choose versions of foods that provide more fibre, protein and beneficial nutrients for the calories you’re already eating - so seeded, wholemeal or rye bread instead of white bread. Or olive oil over butter. Or add something on the side that is nutrient dense to increase the nutritional value of your meals.

When a food is less nutrient dense, pairing it with something more nourishing can make a big difference to your nutrient intake and how satisfied you feel after eating. A piece of chocolate + a small handful of nuts = more nutrition but similar calories to a chocolate bar.

Nutrient dense food swaps

• White toast → wholemeal or seeded toast 

• Jam → nut butter with squished fruit topping

• Biscuits → oatcakes with cheese or nut butter  

• White pasta → wholemeal pasta, lentil pasta or add vegetables like frozen spinach and peas

• Cheese sandwich → added salad, a side of veggies + wholegrain bread 

• Crisps → toasted nuts/fresh or frozen fruit / yoghurt /popcorn