Scientific Background
Nutrition Guidelines Urge a Nutrient-Rich Approach to Choosing Foods
Choosing foods according to nutrient density is a long-standing concept that's receiving renewed attention in the scientific community.
Both the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA's MyPyramid food guidance system urge Americans to choose foods according to nutrient density.
This means first choosing nutrient-dense foods—those that provide substantial amounts of nutrients and relatively few calories—then choosing less nutrient-dense foods—those that provide calories but few or no nutrients—as calorie needs and activity levels permit. The phrase "nutrient-rich foods" is a consumer-friendly way to describe nutrient-dense foods.
The Dietary Guidelines advise building an eating plan based on nutrient-dense foods according to the following key recommendations:1
"Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups while choosing foods that limit the intake of saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol."
"Meet recommended intakes within energy needs by adopting a balanced eating pattern, such as the USDA Food Guide..."
MyPyramid , which translates the Dietary Guidelines into practical advice for consumers, conveys the importance of nutrient density with the following recommendation:2
"Get the most nutrition out of your calories."
MyPyramid also advises consumers to "make smart choices from every food group" and to "find your balance between food and physical activity."
Widespread Scientific Support for the Nutrient Density Approach
In addition to the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid, health authorities such as the American Dietetic Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association support the nutrient density approach.3
The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board's Dietary Reference Intake: Applications in Dietary Planning report proposes nutrient density as a means to plan diets.4 In addition, research shows that registered dietitians routinely use this concept as part of their nutrition counseling techniques.5
References:
1. Department of Health and Human Services/US Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Available at: http://www.healthgove/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/. Accessed December 1, 2005.
2. US Department of Agriculture. MyPyramid.gov. Available at: http://mypyramid.gov. Accessed December 1, 2005.
3. Zelman K, Kennedy E. Naturally Nutrient Rich...Putting More Power on Americans' Plates. Nutr Today. 2005;40(2)60-68.
4. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Dietary reference intakes: Applications in dietary planning. 2003. Available at: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10609.html. Accessed December 1, 2005.
5. International Communications Research. Telephone survey. 2004.
