Foods High in Nutrients

Learn which Foods have the most Nutrients and are the healthiest for you.

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Humans rely on 6 nutrients (water, vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) in food for their body cells to perform at maximum function and to lead a healthy life. The nutrients are chemical substances present in the major food groups we eat daily, such as the grain, vegetable, fruit, and meat groups.

The following is a detailed list of the 6 nutrients, as well as the food groups in which they come from. A well-proportioned diet of all major food groups will provide the necessary nutrients.

Water
Water is often forgotten as a nutrient, even though our bodies can only last a few days without it.

Since our bodies cannot store water, we need a sufficient amount daily to make up for losses from the lungs, skin, urine and feces. Water also helps transport nutrients, remove waste, and regulate body temperature.

Our body gets about half of our water content from food alone. Most foods, especially fruits and vegetables, contain water.

Vitamins
Vitamins help the body turn food into tissues and energy. Thirteen vitamins (A,C,D,E,K and 9 types of vitamin B) are essential to good health and can be found in meat, milk products, vegetables and fruit.

Minerals
There are 20 known minerals (including calcium, iron, iodine, and salt) that play a vital role to our health. These essential nutrients provide a variety of functions to our body, such as building bones and teeth, delivering oxygen to the blood, enabling blood to clot and maintaining the thyroid gland.

Meat, milk products, and vegetables provide good sources of minerals.

Proteins
We can consider protein as the building block of our bodies. Most of our body (including hair, skin, blood, organs, and muscles) derives its tissue-building material from protein. Not only do our cells need protein to grow, but protein also repairs and replaces healthy cells and tissue.

Animal Protein
As protein is digested, the substance is broken down into amino acids. Most animal protein foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and milk products (cheese, yogurt), contain all the essential amino acids our body cannot make. These are known as 'complete proteins'.

Plant Protein
Plant foods, such as rice, cereals, vegetables, and legumes are known as 'incomplete proteins' because they lack some of the important essential amino acids and alone cannot support growth. Some vegetable proteins however, such as dried beans, dried peas, and peanuts can replace animal protein. The best bet, if you choose a vegetarian lifestyle, is to combine incomplete proteins to derive all essential amino acids.

Carbohydrates
If protein is our body's building block, then carbohydrates provide the fuel. Carbohydrates (starch, sugar and fiber) are the body's main source of energy.

Starch
Plant foods, like cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread are excellent sources of starch. Starchy foods supply us with energy to complete daily activities, as well as provide us important vitamins and minerals.

Sugar
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that provides no vitamins or minerals. Used in a variety of sweet and baked goods, it is important to intake sugar in moderation.

Fiber
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. Found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits, a diet rich in fiber will help lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and constipation.

Complex carbohydrates, which are low in calories and fat but high in fiber, are found in grains, vegetables and legumes such as dried beans and split peas. Complex carbohydrate foods can also help maintain weight, as they provide the body with energy in a constant, time-released manner.

Fats
Fats supply twice as much energy and calories as do protein or carbohydrates. Our body cannot survive without fat because fat boosts our immune systems, absorbs crucial vitamins and safeguards us from illnesses.

There are two types of fat: good and bad fat. Good fat, also known as essential fatty acids such as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, can lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). The intake of bad fats, including saturated and trans fatty acids, have been shown to decrease HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and increase the risk of coronary heart disease.