Table of Contents
Nutrient Density | Nutrition in the US | Bioavailability | Nutrient-Dense Foods | Improve Your Diet | Misconceptions | Vegetarian and Vegan Diets | The Role of Multivitamins |
I’ll also clear up some common misconceptions about nutrient density, and reveal why an omnivorous diet that includes both animal and plant foods is the best choice from a nutrient density perspective.
Understanding Nutrient Density
The nutrients in our food fall into two categories: macronutrients and micronutrients.
- Macronutrients refer to the three main substances required in large (macro) amounts in the human diet: protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
- Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and other compounds required by the body in small (micro) amounts for normal physiological function.
We need a mix of both to stay healthy.
What’s the key to maximizing your nutrient density? Eating nutritious, real food from a variety of sources. Find out which foods pack the most punch.
The term “nutrient density” refers to the concentration of micronutrients and amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, in a given food. While carbohydrates and fats are important, these macronutrients can be partially synthesized by the body for a limited amount of time if dietary intake has been insufficient. (A major exception: the essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which we can only get through food.)
Conversely, micronutrients and the essential amino acids found in protein cannot be manufactured by the body and must be consumed from food. (A reminder: the word “essential” in front of fatty or amino acids means that our bodies can’t produce them; we must get them from food sources.)
Nutrient density means two very different things in the conventional nutrition and ancestral health communities. Among conventional practitioners, nutrient-dense foods are defined as those that are high in nutrients but relatively low in calories. According to MyPlate, the current nutrition guide endorsed by conventional medicine, the most nutrient-dense foods are:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grains
- Legumes
- Unsalted nuts and seeds
- Lean meats and poultry
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
MyPlate’s definition of nutrient density excludes foods that are high in saturated fat and animal fat.
In contrast, while the ancestral health community also acknowledges the nutrient density of meat, poultry, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, it does not demonize or overlook foods that are high in calories and saturated fats.
Instead, the ancestral health perspective recognizes that some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet are sourced from animals and contain plenty of fat, such as organ meats, red meat, and full-fat dairy. I consider nutrient density and calorie density separately—because some high-calorie foods are exceptionally nutrient-dense and can be healthy additions to our diet.
Why Nutrient Density Matters
The human body requires approximately 40 different micronutrients for normal metabolic function. Maximizing nutrient density should be the primary goal of our diet because deficiencies of any of these essential nutrients can contribute to the development of chronic disease and even shorten our lifespan. Listed below are just a few examples of how nutrient deficiencies contribute to chronic disease.
- Vitamin C deficiency increases chronic disease risk factors such as C-reactive protein, waist circumference, and blood pressure. (1)
- Vitamin D deficiency is associated with immune dysfunction and an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. (2, 3, 4)
- Magnesium deficiency is linked to depression, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. (5, 6, 7)
- Choline deficiency promotes DNA damage and impairs brain development and liver function. (8, 9)
- Vitamin B12 deficiency contributes to cognitive dysfunction and reversible tremors and other Parkinson’s-like symptoms. (10)
- Folate deficiency increases the risk of birth defects and promotes the production of a compound called homocysteine that damages blood vessels when present in large amounts and impairs DNA methylation, which in turn can lead to altered gene expression and an increased risk of cancer. (11, 12)
Nutrient deficiencies are not only a cause of chronic health conditions, but they can also be an effect. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), dysbiosis, and gastritis impair nutrient absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and increase nutrient needs. Chronic inflammation increases the degradation of and need for vitamin B6 and reduces the body’s production of vitamin D from UVB light exposure. Exposure to environmental toxins such as heavy metals increases the need for essential minerals and nutrients involved in methylation. These factors make nutrient density even more crucial.
The SAD State of Nutrition in the United States
If the United States were to receive a report card rating the quality of the Standard American Diet, it would get a solid “F” for nutrient density. Despite being high in calories, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is nutrient poor. Vegetable oils and sugar, which together comprise 36 percent of the SAD diet, are virtually devoid of nutrients.
It should come as no surprise that nutrient deficiency is widespread in the United States; recent statistics indicate that nearly one-third of Americans are at risk for at least one vitamin deficiency or anemia, with hundreds of thousands of people at risk for multiple deficiencies. (13)
To make matters worse, the RDA (recommended dietary allowance) used in studies to assess nutrient sufficiency merely represents the daily intake level required to avoid acute deficiency symptoms—it does not represent the nutrient intake needed to promote optimal health! (RDAs were originally developed during World War II to create “nutritious” rations for soldiers. While they have been updated since then, RDA numbers represent the minimum amount of a nutrient a person needs in order to avoid a malnutrition-triggered disease, like scurvy or rickets. Furthermore, they don’t really take into account gender, age, or health, meaning that a teenage athlete and a middle-aged sedentary person are given the same RDAs.)
The Crucial (But Underappreciated) Role of Bioavailability
No discussion of nutrient density would be complete without considering another critical nutritional factor: bioavailability.
“Bioavailability” refers to the portion of a nutrient that is absorbed in the digestive tract and released into the bloodstream for the body’s use. The amount of bioavailable nutrients in a food is almost always lower than the amount of nutrients the food contains. For example, the bioavailability of calcium from spinach is only 5 percent. Of the 115 mg of calcium present in a serving of spinach, only 6 mg is absorbed. This means you’d have to consume 16 cups of spinach to get the same amount of bioavailable calcium in one glass of milk. (14)
Factors That Impact Bioavailability
Three factors influence the bioavailability of nutrients in food:
- The form of the nutrients
- The presence of other nutrients that boost bioavailability (nutrient synergy)
- The presence of nutrient inhibitors and anti-nutrients
The form that nutrients take significantly impacts their bioavailability in the body. For example, heme iron, a form of iron found only in animal products such as meat and poultry, is far more bioavailable than nonheme iron, found in plant foods. Fifteen to 35 percent of heme iron is absorbed, whereas only 2 to 20 percent of nonheme iron is absorbed.
The absorption of nutrients is also affected by the presence (or lack) of other nutrients. For example, vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron and fat increases the solubility of fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, and carotenoids.
Nutrient inhibitors and anti-nutrients reduce the bioavailability of nutrients in foods. Phytate, an anti-nutrient found in large amounts in grains and legumes, binds to calcium, iron, and zinc, making them unavailable for absorption. The impact of anti-nutrients on bioavailability is one of the reasons why our Paleolithic ancestors developed nutrient deficiencies when they transitioned from a hunter–gatherer lifestyle, largely free of high amounts of phytate-rich foods, to one that revolved around agriculture.
The concept of nutrient synergy is closely related to bioavailability. Nutrient synergy refers to how nutrients, enzymes, and other cofactors work together to create greater health effects. Examples of nutrient synergy are found in the family of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K2), which must be balanced to promote optimal health. Another example is the importance of copper for maintaining normal iron metabolism in red blood cell formation. While synergistic groups of nutrients occur naturally in foods, they are often not included in synthetic vitamins.
The role of nutrient synergy may explain the surprising results of studies that looked at supplementation with isolated antioxidants. In fact, both beta-carotene and vitamin E have been associated with increased cancer risk. (15, 16)
The bioavailability of protein is another essential component of nutrient density. Researchers rely on a measure called the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), which combines the amino acid profile of a protein with a measure of how much of the protein is absorbed during digestion, to assess protein bioavailability. The PDCAAS rates proteins on a scale of 0 to 1, with values close to 1 representing more complete and better-absorbed proteins than ones with lower scores.
On the scale, animal proteins have much higher scores than plant proteins; casein, egg, milk, whey, and chicken have scores of 1, indicating excellent amino acid profiles and high absorption, with turkey, fish, and beef close behind.
Plant proteins, on the other hand, have much lower scores; legumes, on average, score around 0.70, rolled oats score 0.57, lentils and peanuts are 0.52, tree nuts are 0.42, and whole wheat is 0.42. Importantly, the PDCAAS does not consider the anti-nutrient content of foods. If anti-nutrients were taken into consideration, plant proteins would score even lower on the bioavailability scale due to their high anti-nutrient levels.
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
Close the nutrient gap to feel and perform your best.
A daily stack of supplements designed to meet your most critical needs.
In Search of a Nutrient-Dense Diet
A nutrient-dense diet is the best protection against nutrient deficiencies. But what exactly is the most nutrient-dense diet?
A study published in 2022 in the journal Frontiers of Nutrition set out to answer that question.
The primary author was Ty Beal, a research advisor on the Knowledge Leadership team at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. Beal and his co-author Flaminia Ortenzi sought to identify the foods which are highest in iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A, calcium, and vitamin B12 since these are the most common micronutrient deficiencies worldwide—including in industrialized countries like the United States.
Beal & Ortenzi’s paper was unique compared to previous studies in that it considered the important role of bioavailability (which we discussed above).
The figure below ranks foods according to the calories and grams needed to provide an average of one-third of recommended intakes of vitamin A, folate, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and zinc for women of reproductive age.
As you can see, organ meats like liver, spleen, kidney, and heart comprised four of the top seven most nutrient-dense foods.
And, in general, animal foods like fish, beef, eggs, and milk comprised 17 of the top 20 foods on the list.
This study provides powerful evidence that animal foods are the most concentrated source of essential vitamins and minerals like B12, folate, iron, and zinc.
In this context, “essential” doesn’t just mean “important” it means necessary for life. We need to consume essential nutrients from the diet because our bodies can’t make them on their own.
Focusing on essential nutrients makes sense since we can’t live without them.
That said, over the past few decades, many nonessential have been identified that are important to our health, even if they aren’t strictly essential. They include:
- Polyphenols
- Carotenoids
- Flavonoids
- Diallyl sulfides (from the allium class of vegetables)
- Lignans
These nutrients are found primarily in plant foods, so had they been factors in Beal and Ortenzi’s study, fruits and vegetables would have scored higher.
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Putting It All Together
Animals and plants each contain different nutrients that our bodies require, as Dr. Sarah Ballantyne indicated in her excellent article, “How Much Meat versus Veggies.”
Plant Foods
- Vitamin C
- Carotenoids (like lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin)
- Diallyl sulfide (from the allium class of vegetables)
- Polyphenols
- Flavonoids (like anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, proanthocyanidins, procyanidins, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin, and flavanones)
- Dithiolethiones
- Lignans
- Plant sterols and stanols
- Isothiocyanates and indoles
- Prebiotic fibers (soluble and insoluble)
Animal Foods
- Vitamin B12
- Heme iron
- Zinc
- Preformed vitamin A (retinol)
- High-quality protein
- Creatine
- Taurine
- Carnitine
- Selenium
- Vitamin K2
- Vitamin D
- DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)
- EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)
- CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)
We end up avoiding processed, refined foods because they are calorie dense and nutrient poor. We eat fresh, local, organic, whole foods that are not only higher in nutrients than their conventional counterparts, but also lower in pesticides and other toxins. We eat meat, eggs, wild-caught seafood, and pasture-raised, full-fat dairy when tolerated. Finally, we naturally eat less because nutrient-dense foods tend to be more satiating, have more fiber and water, and often have fewer calories.
Fine-Tuning Your Diet
Some people may need to fine-tune the nutrient density of their diet to replenish depleted nutrients. Some of the key nutrients to consider when refining the nutrient density of your diet include vitamins A, D, E, and K2, magnesium, iodine, and calcium.
Vitamin A
Preformed vitamin A can be obtained by eating three to six ounces of beef liver or chicken liver per week or by regularly consuming egg yolks. Carotenoids in carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, kale, spinach, collard greens, and pumpkin serve as precursors to vitamin A. If you find that these foods are not enough, you can also take one teaspoon of cod liver oil per day as a source of vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Sun exposure is the best “nutrient” for raising vitamin D levels. Full-body exposure to midday summer sun yields approximately 1,000 IU of vitamin D, though this value is highly dependent on your skin tone and latitude. Frequent sun exposure is not always possible, and vitamin D deficiency is widespread, so one teaspoon of cod liver oil per day (a natural source of vitamin D) may be a beneficial addition to your diet.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E supplementation is also not recommended because long-term studies indicate that alpha-tocopherol, the form of vitamin E typically used in multivitamins, may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. (19) Instead, get your vitamin E from foods such as:
- Spinach
- Turnip greens
- Chard
- Sunflower seeds
- Almonds
- Bell peppers
- Asparagus
- Collards
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
Eating these foods with fat—plant or animal—will enhance vitamin E absorption.
Vitamin K2
The primary forms of vitamin K2 are menaquinone-4 (MK-4) and menaquinone-7 (MK-7). Grass-fed, full-fat dairy products, gouda, brie, poultry liver (especially goose liver), and pastured egg yolks are excellent sources of MK-4, while natto and other fermented foods are rich sources of MK-7.
Magnesium
The optimal intake of magnesium is 500 to 700 mg/day from food and supplements. Food sources of magnesium include:
- Leafy greens
- Molasses
- Dark chocolate
- Bananas
- Pumpkin seeds
- Almonds
- Lentils
It is hard to get enough magnesium from food alone, so you may need to supplement with 100 to 500 mg of magnesium glycinate or magnesium malate per day.
Iodine
Ironically, iodine deficiency may be more common in people who eat healthier diets, due to the avoidance of iodized salt and processed foods that contain iodized salt. To boost your iodine levels, eat sea vegetables (such as nori), cod, yogurt, milk, and eggs.
Calcium
Most calcium supplements, with the exception of bone meal, are no longer recommended due to studies linking them to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney stones, and other problems—even increased risk of fracture. Instead, focus on food sources such as:
- Bone-in sardines
- Canned sockeye salmon with bones
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Sesame seeds
- Collard greens
- Spinach
- Turnip greens
- Bok choy
- Almonds
- Summer squash
- Herbs and spices
If you are looking for nutritional powerhouses that can deliver a bundle of nutrients at once, consider eating liver, beef, and oysters. Liver is nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A and is an excellent source of B vitamins, bioavailable iron, CoQ10, copper, zinc, and chromium. Beef contains highly bioavailable zinc, iron, selenium, and B vitamins, especially B12. Last but not least, oysters contain 111 percent of the RDA for zinc, 110 percent for selenium, 267 percent for B12, 79 percent for copper, and 28 percent of the RDA for iron. They are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
Close the nutrient gap to feel and perform your best.
A daily stack of supplements designed to meet your most critical needs.
Misconceptions about Nutrient Density
There are some common misconceptions about nutrient density that circulate throughout the nutrition world and blogosphere. Since these misconceptions have the potential to significantly impact the nutrient density of your diet and your long-term health, I’d like to set the record straight by addressing a few of them here.
“Many Vegetables Are High in Vitamin A.”
This is a common misconception that is even promoted on food labels! Vegetables, especially dark green, orange, and yellow vegetables, are often described as good sources of vitamin A. In reality, they contain vitamin A precursors called carotenoids. Carotenoids must be converted into vitamin A in the body, and unfortunately, this conversion is inefficient for many people. (20)
“You Can Get Vitamin B12 from Fermented Foods and Brewer’s Yeast.”
This is a common myth among vegetarians and vegans. B12 is found exclusively in animal products, with the exception of rarely consumed plant foods like nori and wild mushrooms. (21) Some plant foods do contain compounds that resemble B12, but in most cases these are B12 analogs (meaning that they have a similar chemical structure). Despite their molecular similarity, B12 analogs actually block B12 receptors, increasing the need for this crucial vitamin. (22)
“You Can Get All the Calcium You Need from a Vegan Diet.”
Although foods included in a vegan diet contain calcium, the calcium is far less bioavailable. You would need to eat 16 servings of spinach to get the same amount of calcium in one glass of milk. (23) Oxalate and phytate, which are frequently found in plant foods that contain calcium, inhibit calcium absorption. Dairy products and bone-in fish remain the most bioavailable sources of calcium.
“Vegetarian Foods Are Loaded with Iron.”
Many plant foods contain nonheme iron, but it is far less bioavailable than heme iron in animal foods. Furthermore, phytates and oxalates reduce the absorption of nonheme iron.
“You Can Get Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Plant Foods Such as Chia Seeds and Flax Seeds.”
Some plant foods, such as flax and chia, contain alpha-linolenic acid. It’s possible for alpha-linolenic acid to be converted into EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids that are essential to our health, but conversion is poor in many people. (24)
Nutrient Deficiencies on Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
The nutrition myths mentioned above are often promoted by advocates of vegetarian and vegan diets. Perhaps not surprisingly, nutrient deficiencies are very common on such diets. Deficiencies frequently occur in vegetarian and vegan diets because the main food sources in these diets are grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, which are not as nutrient dense as foods included in omnivorous diets, including meat, seafood, and dairy products.
Also, many of the staple foods of vegetarian and vegan diets, especially grains and legumes, are high in phytic acid and other nutrients and thus have low bioavailability. If your goal is to optimize the nutrient density of your diet, then vegetarianism and veganism may not be your best option. For more information on the nutritional pitfalls of vegetarian and vegan diets, check out my article “Why You Should Think Twice about Vegetarian and Vegan Diets.”
Can Taking a Multivitamin Prevent Nutrient Deficiencies?
In a perfect world, we’d be able to meet all of our nutrient needs from food. But in the world we live in today, that is getting increasingly difficult for many reasons:
-
A shift in diet patterns toward highly processed and refined foods, which are high in calories but virtually devoid of nutrients.
-
Changes in soil quality which have reduced nutrient availability in food. For example, we’d have to eat 8 oranges today to get the same nutrition that our grandparents got from eating a single orange.
-
An increase in toxins like heavy metals and glyphosate in the food supply. These toxins bind to nutrients and decrease their bioavailability.
-
A shift to a global, industrialized food system rather than a local, organic food system, which reduces the level of nutrients in food.
-
The growing prevalence of chronic disease, which increases the demand for nutrients and decreases their absorption.
- The common use of prescription and over-the-counter medications that interfere with nutrient absorption.
While a whole-foods diet should always be the cornerstone of your nutrient intake, high-quality supplements (including multivitamins) can help close the nutrient gap and ensure that we’re getting everything we need to thrive and flourish in the modern world.
I hope this article has helped you gain a better understanding of nutrient density and its crucial role in your health. By consuming a diet composed of nutrient-dense foods and being aware of bioavailability, you can optimize your nutrition status, protect yourself from nutrient deficiencies, and create the foundation for lifelong health.
I have a question about nutrient density that seems to be consistently skirted by paleo nutrition experts. If properly prepared grains and legumes are to be minimized due to their low nutrient density, why is it never suggested that we minimize added fat which is far lower in nutrient density? Even traditional fats like coconut oil, animal fat, etc. are very low in nutrients, due to being a refined food. Even if they are not toxic in any respect, they can easily make up a big portion of our daily calorie intake while adding very few nutrients. I would think this should be quite significant, especially for modern people with desk jobs who don’t require a lot of calories. Paul Jaminet addresses this somewhat in his “weight loss version” of the Perfect Health Diet, but he seems to be the only one in the paleosphere who will even bring it up. The whole food vegans talk about this all the time, and while I don’t agree with their overall approach, I’ve always wondered why the paleo folks refuse to address this.
I worry sometimes that a lot of produce that we can buy in grocery stores today, even when it’s certified as “organic,” not not have the same nutritional value that it would have if it were grown in truly healthy soil using regenerative agriculture, crop rotation and even crop/pasture rotation.
Just to be on the safe side, I assume that the exact same meal prepared in my own kitchen today as one prepared by my great aunt on their family farm in Iowa 50 or 60 years ago now has maybe 60 to 70% of the nutritional value. So I take supplements I think I really shouldn’t need (my great aunt and uncle certainly never needed them) just to make up the difference.