Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros
Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros
Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros, macro tracking, and more
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November 23, 2023
Nutrients are substances the body needs to grow, reproduce, and survive. Nutrients are necessary to give you the energy you need to go about your day. Without them, the body eventually shuts down. It's important to understand nutrient-dense foods and which ones will help you up your nutrition game.
Nutrient density works like per capita measurements. This means that you consider the number of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in proportion to the portion's number of calories.
Nutrient density in foods has two main purposes. The first is to help you reach your daily macronutrient goal without eating too many calories. Micronutrients include fat, carbohydrates, and protein and are not available in every food you eat.
The other goal of nutrient density is to help you avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Berries, greens, and seeds are great examples of nutrient-dense foods with large amounts of macronutrients in just a small portion. Adding a variety of these foods to your diet can eliminate vitamin supplements from your diet.
Note that there is no one specific way to measure nutrient density, as it depends on which nutrients you include and how you weigh each nutrient in terms of importance. However, several formulas have been proposed in order to calculate a single score for each food.
These are some of the best foods you can add to your diet to ensure you're getting tasty meals and the nutrients you need.
Salmon and other oily fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids that every cell in your body needs to survive. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary to function correctly for your brain, heart, lungs, immune system, and more.
There are about 2.2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids in a 100-gram serving of wild Atlantic salmon. It also contains 25.4 grams of high-quality protein and a variety of other nutrients, including potassium and B vitamins. Even better, salmon is quick and easy to prepare and fills you up with fewer calories.
Even though a lot of people don't eat them, organ meats like liver are some of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Red meat in general has a lot of iron and protein, but items like liver are even healthier. A single serving of beef liver includes the recommended daily amount of vitamins B12, B2, and A. It also contains 65% of your B9 vitamins, 80% of your RDA iron, and a large amount of choline and copper. Beef liver is also easy to make and pairs well with garlic, spices, or sweet foods and sauces.
It is not just beef liver that is highly nutrient dense either. Since the liver is essentially the chemistry lab to make and store nutrients in the body, most animal livers have high nutrient density. Beware, however, that due to the liver’s role in filtering toxins, the liver of some animals can also be high in concentrations of toxic chemicals, which makes some dangerous to eat. Polar bear livers are even known to have toxically high amounts of vitamin A.
Small and oily, sardines are fish that contain some of almost every nutrient that your body requires. Because they are fatty fish, they are also high in omega-3 fatty acids that promote heart health. A single tin of sardines contains 23 grams of protein, nearly 11 grams of healthy fats, plenty of vitamins D and B12, plus a range of other vitamins and minerals that you need. Don’t feel like the only way to eat them is straight out of the can either - there are lots of ways you can add sardines to your dishes.
You can't beat the nutrients you'll find in pasture-raised chicken eggs. Eggs are a mighty source of fat, protein, and other nutrients. A single egg is full of vitamins A, B5, B12, and B2. It also includes folate, phosphorus, omega-3 fatty acids, and selenium. If you make a 2-egg omelet, you'll take in up to 50% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamins and minerals. If you don't like eggs on their own, try adding them to toast, fried rice, pancakes, or soups. Eggs are also unfortunately known for being high in dietary cholesterol. However, this is generally not a concern when eating eggs in moderation.
Leafy and green, kale is a vegetable that is rich in vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants, fiber, and other bioactive compounds. A single serving of kale provides vitamins B6, C, K, and A. It also includes calcium, copper, magnesium, and manganese. Plus, a single cup only has 9 calories. Add it to salads or fruit smoothies for the best results.
Seaweed has a dense composition of vitamins and minerals and is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Although there are many types, the most common edible ones are nori, dulse, kombu, and furikake. Other common types include wakame and chlorella. Seaweed can be used in a variety of ways, such as in sushi rolls, as a seasoning, or even as a supplemental powder. It can even be used as a salad topper or in stews and soups. It's rich in riboflavin, folate, copper, thiamin, magnesium, and iron.
Wild berries and their powders are considered superfoods in the nutrition department. An ounce of goji berries has 11% of your recommended daily iron and 15% of your recommended vitamin C. Acai berries have vitamin A and a wide range of trace minerals you need. Both of them are full of antioxidants, so they are also good for your skin. You can find goji and acai berries in the frozen food section at your local grocery store. Add them to smoothies or oatmeal.
When you're on the go, it's harder to ensure you eat your nutrient-dense foods. Prospre is a meal-planning app that makes it easy for you to create meal plans that focus on nutrition and meeting your macronutrient goals. Check out our site to learn more and download the app!
