Would you like to lose weight but are not sure which foods to include in your meal plan? Are you tired of seeing more plate than food at dinnertime? Are you following your diabetic meal plan and feel hungry all the time? One concept to help you improve your diabetic improve your diet and decrease is to think about foods in terms of density. If a food product is nutrient-dense, it means that one serving provides a large amount of nutrients for relatively few calories. Examples of nutrient-dense foods are green leafy vegetables, colorful vegetables, eggs, fruit, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and beans. Processed foods (like potato chips and doughnuts) are often low nutrient-dense, meaning that they provide a small amount of nutrients but contain a large amount of calories. Empty calorie foods like candy and soda contain very few nutrients, but are high in calories.
Foods can also be considered in terms of the amount of energy they provide per serving. Energy-dense foods provide a large amount of calories relative to the weight or size per serving. Examples of energy-dense foods are peanut butter, nuts, seeds, butter, and pasta. Low-energy-dense foods include fruits and vegetables, because they provide few calories in larger serving sizes.
Considering the nutrient and energy density of foods can achieve adequate nutrition with fewer calories. By choosing nutrient-dense rather than energy-dense foods can help you lose weight, while choosing energy-dense foods may do the opposite.
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