You’ve probably seen all kinds of literature on why you should eat “nutritiously” for your heart. But when’s the last time your doctor talked to you about nutrient density?
If the answer is “never,” you’re not alone.
Nutrient density is possibly the most preventive factor of death from cardiovascular disease, so it’s upsetting to think it’s likely one of the least discussed topics in the doctor’s office
Here’s a primer on the importance of balancing, managing, and improving the nutrient density of your diet.
First: a brief definition
We’ve had countless conflicting voices around the so-called “best” type of nutrition in the past several decades. This is likely one of the reasons why “nutrient density” isn’t well defined in most scientific research.
Yes, we have definitions from the American food pyramid, and from a few other sources dating back 10 to 15 years ago. But these are largely confusing and relatively outdated, such as demonizing salt and solid fats, for example.
Nutritionally-dense food is:
- Whole, real food. That means your grandma would recognize it as food. It also wouldn’t come from a factory with a large ingredients list.
- A direct contributor of necessary nutrients. This means macronutrients such as protein and fat, plus key vitamins and minerals.
- Absence of harmful compounds. By this, I mean few carbohydrates, seed oils, added sugar, or oxalates.
One quick caveat: nutrient-dense food isn’t necessarily the same thing as energy-dense food. Just because something can give you a lot of energy (like a Twinkie) doesn’t mean there are many nutrients in it.
As you can see, a nutrient-dense diet doesn’t have to be plant-based only, avoid all saturated fat, or never include red meat.
If it’s a whole, real food that provides necessary nutrients (in the absence of harmful ones), it’s a food that will likely support your heart health.
3 ways to ensure nutrient density in your diet
How confident are you that your diet is nutrient-dense?
To answer that question, check your dietary pattern against these three elements:
1. Food source quality
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: you need to know where your food comes from.
It’s a known fact that whole, real produce degenerates quickly and loses some nutritional quality. Natural enzymes can affect flavonoids, vitamin C, and glycosinolates over time. Plus, selective breeding and monocropping can have a significant effect on nutrient profiles. This can also affect meat and milk quality depending on the animal’s feed.
We also need to look at pesticide content, which has become incredibly pervasive in grain and seed oil crops. A whopping 75% of our food contains residual pesticides, and studies show a close association between exposure to pesticides and cardiovascular disease.
For all these reasons, I recommend shopping:
- From local operations
- Organic produce when possible
- Raw produce (not prepackaged with seasonings or in pre-prepped meals)
2. Bioavailability
As much as quality matters to your diet, so does bioavailability.
The simplest definition is “how much of what you eat is actually available to nourish your body.” Or, how well your body can use the nutrients in your food compared to other types of food.
A good example of this is the protein in beans. They’re a staple food for those on vegan diets, although they’re also considered an incomplete protein. This means they do not contain all the essential amino acids necessary to build or repair tissue in your body. You either need to combine it with another food, or turn to a food that is more bioavailable (like pork or eggs).
Bioavailability is a major issue with many of the foods peddled as “healthy” at the grocery store. Case in point:
- Vegan alternatives: Fake meat is much less bioavailable than the real thing. It’s also not always safe for metabolic health, especially when you factor in added seed oils and the heavy processing.
- Green leafy vegetables: Foods like spinach, chard, and kale have a large amount of iron compared to other vegetables. However, just 12% of that iron is bioavailable, since humans can’t effectively digest the iron present in chloroplasts and mitochondria.
- Supplements: Studies show that “a healthy dietary pattern shows a greater magnitude of beneficial effects than the potential effects of a single nutrient supplementation.” Keep in mind this may include protein bars and protein powders, some of which use artificial fats and sugars.
It’s another reason why ultra-processed foods do very little to improve our metabolic health. There’s simply nothing in them to improve.
This isn’t to say all processed foods are nutrient-deficient. Unsweetened Greek yogurt, for example, is an incredible food for low-carb or keto dieters.
But processed foods like frozen dinners and packaged sweets won’t provide you with much nutrition. It’s one of the biggest reasons why Americans are so nutrient-deficient and require significant supplementation.
To summarize: it’s far better to eat foods for their intended, bioavailable purpose than try to eat plant-based alternatives and supplement the gaps.
3. Macronutrient intake
Not all nutrients are built alike. In fact, some are entirely unnecessary to the human body.
As a reminder, there are three major macronutrients:
- Protein: Used to build tissue and restore damage.
- Fats: Slow-burning energy that can help absorb fat-soluble vitamins (think vitamins A, D, and E).
- Carbohydrates: A fast energy source for the body, and the only nonessential of these 3 macronutrients.
You’ll want to focus on foods that are necessary to your body, which means a heavier focus on protein and fat than carbohydrates. This means less bread, grain, sweets, and high-carb fruits, among others. Remember that carbohydrates often turn into sugar in the body, high amounts of which can lead to blood sugar problems, insulin resistance, diabetes, and more.
If you follow me on X, you’re likely familiar with my own journey on low-carb diets. Keto and carnivore are some of the most popular, but there are other options on the proper human diet spectrum.
There’s a lot to expand on that we simply don’t have space for here. That’s why I highly suggest speaking with a metabolic coach who understands.
Protecting your heart with more nutrient density
We’ve covered quite a bit on nutrient density, but truth be told, we’ve only just scratched the surface.
If you’d like to learn more about the topic, I recommend the following:
- Responding to bad metabolic health advice on social media
- 4 metabolic myths from mainstream medicine
- The unspoken problem of vegan diets
