Nutrient dense meals are key when it comes to optimizing overall health and feeling our best. Keep reading to learn what nutrient dense means and examples of nutrient dense foods, recipes, and snacks!

A strawberry goat cheese chicken salad with a lemon vinaigrette. Strawberries and lemons in the background. — Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

What Does Nutrient Dense Mean?

The term nutrient dense essentially means the amount of nutrients in a food/meal/snack/recipe. The more nutrient dense something is, the more nutrition it has! I recommend to include nutrient dense options as much as possible when it comes to eating, cooking, and meal planning.

A common example I like to use is potato chips versus a baked potato. Potato chips are deep-fried and fairly processed, whereas a baked potato is a natural, whole food that contains nutrients like potassium and vitamin C. Plus, if you top it with some plain low-fat Greek yogurt (instead of butter and sour cream), you're getting extra protein and probiotics!

Long story short, the closer something is to it's natural state (aka less processed), the more nutrient dense it probably is.

Spicy peanut noodles with stir fry veggies and topped with sesame seeds. — Spicy Peanut Noodles

Nutrient Dense Foods

Writing out a full list of nutrient dense foods is difficult because there are so many! Think any and all fresh or frozen produce (like fruits and vegetables), beans, legumes, whole grains, low-fat/fat-free dairy, nuts, seeds, fish, lean meats, tofu, etc. Here are some of my favorite specific nutrient dense foods:

Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Avocados
Flaxseed
Tart cherries (not maraschino!)
Salmon
Walnuts
Beans
Leafy greens (spinach, kale, etc)
Greek yogurt
Oatmeal

A Greek yogurt parfait with mixed berries, which is an example of a nutrient dense snack. — Greek yogurt parfait with mixed berries

Nutrient Dense Snacks

I always recommend including a fruit and/or veggie into every snack in order to create a nutrient dense snack. Here are my go-to nutrient dense snacks:

Greek yogurt parfait with berries and almonds
Hummus with baby carrots and sliced cucumber
Scrambled eggs with spinach, peppers, and onion
Guac with sliced bell peppers
Smoothies with frozen cauliflower and spinach or kale (plus fruit)
Apple or pear with low-fat cheddar cheese
Small handful of mixed nuts
Half (or whole) turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with hummus, low-fat cheese, and spinach
Homemade trailmix with air-popped popcorn, walnuts, no sugar added dried fruit, dark chocolate chips
Dates filled with natural peanut or almond butter and drizzled with dark choclate and sea salt

Healthy chocolate zucchini bread, sliced. This is an example of a great nutrient dense addition to any meal and alternative to traditional chocolate bread/cake! — Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Nutrient Dense Recipes

A lot of the recipes on my website are nutrient dense but here are some of my favorites!

Breakfast

Lunch/Dinner

Snacks/sides

Desserts

The secret to improving the nutrient density of recipes is to add ingredients that are naturally nutrient dense and/or making swaps that improve the nutrient profile. For example, if a recipe calls for oil, subbing half of the oil for applesauce or mashed banana. Or swapping low-fat dairy for regular full-fat. One of my favorite things to do is blend veggies into sauces and dips to sneak them in without adding much flavor!

Kale caesar with crispy chickpeas and homemade caesar dressing is a great nutrient dense meal. — Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

Nutrient Dense Meals: Conclusion

The key to improving the nutrient density of your meals, snacks, and recipes is to start small. Evaluate what you're currently doing and find small ways here and there to improve the nutrient profile! This could mean adding baby carrots to your hummus instead of/in addition to pretzels or pita chips, adding diced apple to a salad, or a few handfuls of spinach to your pasta sauce.

It's all about small, sustainable changes and every little bit counts here! I would love to hear your thoughts on this article so please review it below. I'd love your feedback!