Pack the most into your meals with ingredients that are nutrient-dense.

Give your body and sport performance a boost with great eats that bring the most to the table: nutrient-dense food. The benefits include maximizing energy, reducing inflammation and helping to hydrate our bodies.

Many people have heard of nutrient-dense foods. However, we don't always apply it in athletic nutrition. I think back to when my rowing coach instructed me to eat "2,700 calories a day, and it doesn't matter what you eat, just get them in" to keep my weight up.

But we know now that calories are not created equally. Research shows eating nutrient-dense food can help athletes and active people improve their health and performance.

Ranking food
To make it easier for people to make smart choices, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, an American physician who specializes in nutrition, developed a chart to rank foods according to their nutrient density in relation to calorie content. Using this ranking system can help athletes maximize the energy they consume and make the most of the anti-inflammatory benefits of these foods.

In his book Eat to Live and Eat for Health, Fuhrman identifies foods that are rich in nutrients and deliver the energy necessary to perform at high levels. To determine a nutrient-density score, all known vitamins and minerals from the food are calculated per 1,000 calorie serving. Nutrients evaluated include: calcium, carotenoids (beta and alpha carotene), lutein and zeaxanthin, lycopene, fibre, folate, glucosinolates, iron, magnesium, niacin, selenium, vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) score (a measure of the antioxidant or radical-scavenging capacity of foods).

Phytochemicals, which are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants, minerals and vitamins all contribute to maintaining the body, but phytochemicals are also important for cell repair and detoxification. Phytochemicals help prevent cancers and boost immune systems.

"Nutritional science in the last 20 years has demonstrated that colourful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective compounds, mostly unnamed at this point," Fuhrman said.

"Only by eating an assortment of natural foods that are nutrient-rich can we access these compounds and protect ourselves from the common diseases that afflict (us)."

Optimal fuel
Leah Perrier, a registered dietician who writes for Health Castle, an online registered dietician site, wrote about how important it is for active people to eat foods that provide optimal fuel in her article, "Super Foods for Athletes," first published in June 2006. She specifically discussed the value of blueberries, a nutrient-dense food.

"Blueberries help reduce the oxidative damage to cells caused by free radicals that are produced during periods of strenuous activity," Perrier wrote.

"Nutrients in blueberries may also promote healthy blood pressure. These ‘super foods' contain vitamin C to support your immune system, and are a source of energy-enhancing carbohydrates and fibre to help sustain your energy and keep you in the game."

Fuhrman classifies all his nutrient-dense foods as high in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.

The foods ranked in the far right (orange) column are necessary for creating balanced meals. Fuhrman makes it clear that foods such as chicken, lean cuts of meat and olive oil are also important because they contain nutrients that, when combined with nutrient-dense foods, make a balanced meal. We shouldn't avoid meat, oils or some of the fruits in the far-right column. Rather, we should eat them with nutrient-dense foods.

Faster recovery
Registered dietician Jen Hutchison works with Ironman triathletes. She wrote in January 2009 that the best foods for physically active folks are those that contain the key nutrients in energy production - foods rich in antioxidants that help in repair and recovery. She recommends endurance athletes eat nutrient-rich foods that include wholesome carbohydrate sources, lean protein sources, healthy fats, and foods rich in vitamins C and E, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and folate. She divided nutrient-dense foods into different categories. First, there are the nutrient-dense and low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Second, are the nutrient-dense and calorie-dense foods, such as good fats and oils (i.e., polyunsaturated fats and oils) and seeds and nuts. The last category includes calorie-dense and low-nutrient-dense foods, which are high in fat and sugar and offer few benefits to our bodies.

Hutchison emphasized that not only should athletes eat nutrient-dense foods, but they should eat nutrient-dense foods that are high in calories during the training cycle. Foods high in nutrients but with few calories, such as fruits and vegetables, are also important because they help us hydrate as they contain more sodium.

Nutritious calories
Adam Drewnowski is a renowned researcher of issues related to preventing and treating obesity. He discussed the importance of identifying foods' Natural Nutrient Rich (NNR) score (i.e., the nutrient-to-calorie ratio) in articles such as "Concept of Nutritious Food: Toward a Nutrient Density Score," published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (October 2005).

Drewnowski wrote that this nutrient-density standard will help people ensure each calorie they eat also has a high nutritional value. NNR scores help consumers find nutrient-dense foods within each food group and make better food choices. Drenowski emphasized that consumers should eat colourful fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, seafood, eggs, beans and nuts, and low-fat and non-fat dairy products. Poor athletic performance may be the result of people choosing nutrient-poor foods.

Anti-inflammatory benefits
Another reason to eat nutrient-dense foods is for the anti-inflammatory benefits. Dr. Andrew Weil, a world leader in research on the anti-inflammatory benefits of food, said eating anti-inflammatory foods can help counteract the chronic inflammation that is a root cause of many serious diseases, including those that become more frequent as  people age, such as heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. The fruits and vegetables found in the far left (green) column of Fuhrman's chart are also anti-inflammatory, and therefore provide these benefits, according to Weil. These foods can help athletes counteract the inflammation and stress they put their bodies through during training and races. We can potentially decrease recovery times and the risk of injury by eating these anti-inflammatory foods.

Foods that are nutrient-poor or that inflame our bodies are not ideal training fuel. High-calorie, low-nutrient-density foods cost us more energy than they are worth. However, nutrient-dense foods efficiently provide us the energy we need without taxing our body, ultimately resulting in superior athletic results.

If we want to achieve athletic excellence then we should ingest fuel that meets the gold medal standard of nutrition.

About the Author
Suzie Robertson, B.A., is a nutrititionist for Simply For Life in Calgary. She competes in triathlons and half-marathons.

"Nutrition Density for Runners" first appeared in the 2010 Mar/Apr Running Issue of IMPACT Magazine.

Nutrient-dense  Recipes

KALE WITH APPLES AND MUSTARD
Serves three to four.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about one minute. Add water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes. Stir in apples. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, eight to minutes more.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl.  Add the mixture to the kale, increase heat to high and boil, uncovered, until most of the liquid evaporates, three to four minutes.

STIR‑FRIED BEEF AND BOK CHOY
Serves three to four.

In a small bowl, stir in water and flour. Add next six ingredients and set aside. Heat wok on medium-high. Add olive oil and cook beef strips until almost cooked.Stir in water mixture. Stir into beef mixture until boiling and thickened. Add bok choy and stir until it just starts to wilt and serve.

BROCCOLI AND BELL PEPPER SALAD
Serves three to four.

Steam broccoli along with garlic for five to seven minutes. Remove the garlic from the steamer and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and chives or scallions. Peel the cooked garlic and mash it with a fork; add it to the dressing, mixing well to blend. Place the broccoli, bell peppers, onions and vinaigrette in a salad bowl toss to combine and serve.

BAKED CABBAGE
Serves three to four.

Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet, saute onion and celery in olive oil for about three minutes. Add meat, salt and pepper stir for another two minutes. Spread the cabbage in a two-quart baking dish and cover with all the meat mixture and water. Add remaining cabbage. Cover and bake for one hour.

SPINACH AND HAZELNUT SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Serves one.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, strawberry preserves and black pepper. In a large bowl, toss together spinach, lettuce, hazelnuts, raisins, red onion, and bran buds. Drizzle salad dressing over the salad, and toss gently to combine. Serve topped with sliced avocado.

Recipes from Simply for Life