Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

74 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
dense, whole foods. To help people control calories and prevent weight gain, the USDA
promotes the concept of nutrient density and empty calories. Nutrient density is a measure
of the nutrients that we’re usually trying to consume more of—vitamins, minerals, fiber
and protein—per calorie of food, coupled with little or no solid fats, added sugars, refined
starches, and sodium. For example, in the screenshot below, a 90 percent lean 3-ounce
ground beef patty is considered more nutrient-dense than a 75 percent lean patty. In the 90
percent lean patty, for 184 calories you get protein, iron, and other needed nutrients. On the
other hand, the 75 percent lean patty has 236 calories, but the extra 52 calories add only
solid fats and no other appreciable nutrients.
Figure 1.24. Examples of the calories found in nutrient-dense food choices compared with
calories found in less nutrient-dense forms of these foods.
All vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans and peas, unsalted nuts and
seeds, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and lean meats and poultry—when prepared with
little or no added solid fats, and sugars—are nutrient-dense foods.
Foods become less nutrient dense when they containempty calories—calories from solid
fats and/or added sugars. Solid fats and added sugars add calories to a food but don’t
provide other nutrients. Foods with empty calories have fewer nutrients per calorie;
therefore, they are less nutrient dense.
Examples of foods HIGH in empty calories:
• doughnuts, cakes, cookies
• sweetened cereals and yogurt
• sweetened beverages
• high-fat meats
• fried foods