Low Nutrient Density

Low nutrient density food has little nutrition per calorie. Sugar, fat and salt make up much of supermarket food. Lots of calories but little vitamins or minerals or other essential nutrients.

The ingredients on the package will tell the tale. The first 5 ingredients on a package is most of what the food is made of. If sugar, or one of the many other names for sugar, is in the first three ingredients then the food probably is of low nutrient density.

It may taste good but that is how it is designed. Food today is engineered to be like an addictive drug. When you eat low nutrient density junk food, your body craves more. Does this benefit society?

Potato Chips and Cheez-like Wiz and Soda Pop are the classic low nutrient density junk foods. These foods are everywhere and easy for kids to buy from vending machines at school or nearby stores.

Is this building healthy children (see blog post Terrible Trends)?

Supermarkets have tiny little sections of organic local vegetables and fruits but large aisles full of frozen French Fries and Potato Chips. Why are there not more organic local vegetables available?!

What is the answer? Well, all the public health research from BC, Canada and other parts of the world all agree on what works.

Educate people about healthy food choices, and increase the supply of nutrient dense foods. Increasing the supply of organic local vegetables is most critical. This is the food we need to eat more of for health.

Today, in Canada, nutrient dense food is hard to get. It is easy to just reach out and grab something full of empty calories and low nutrient density.