What Makes a Food Nutritious
I’m always talking about eating nutritious foods 80-90% of the time and your non-nutritious favs 10-20% of the time… But how do you know if a food is nutritious or non-nutritious?
There are 3 things that contribute to the nutritious value of a food:
1. Nutrient density — How many nutrients do you consume per serving of food? 1 cup of watermelon contains 12.5 mg Vitamin C, whereas to 1 serving of Oreos (2 cookies) contains 0 mg Vitamin C.
2. Satiety — How full do you feel after consuming one serving of food? Chances are that eating 1 cup of watermelon is going to leave you feeling more full than eating 2 Oreos.
3. Caloric density — How many calories do you consume per serving of food? You can eat an entire pound of watermelon for only 138 calories compared to eating 2 Oreos for 140 calories.
It’s important to understand nutrition isn’t black and white. In other words, there is no “nutritious” food group and “non-nutritious” food group. Instead, foods fall on a sliding scale… They are either more nutritious, less nutritious, or non-nutritious.
Lastly, I need to stress that this info does NOT mean that watermelon is “good for you” and Oreos are “bad for you.” Heck, if you’ve been following me for awhile you know I LOVE Oreos!
You can lose weight and live a healthy life forever while STILL eating non-nutritious foods without feeling guilty, but you have to consume them in moderation. It’s all about finding a balance between nutritious foods most of the time and less-nutritious or non-nutritious foods some of the time.
Have questions about the nutritional value of food?
