The World’s 7 Most Nutrient-Dense Foods

You can only consume a certain amount of food in a single day.

It makes sense to use your calorie budget wisely by selecting foods that have the highest number and variety of nutrients to maximise the amount of nutrients you take in.

Here are the world’s 7 most nutrient-dense foods.

1. Salmon

All fish are not created equal.

The most omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon and other fatty fish.

Omega-3 fatty acids are critical for your body’s healthy functioning. They’ve been associated to better health and a lower risk of numerous major diseases (1Reliable Source).

Although salmon is mostly valued for its healthy fatty acid composition, it also contains a wealth of other nutrients.

A 100-gram portion of wild Atlantic salmon includes around 2.2 grammes of omega-3s, as well as plenty of high-quality animal protein and vitamins and minerals, including significant levels of magnesium, potassium, selenium, and B vitamins (2Trusted Source).

To acquire all of the omega-3s your body requires, eat fatty fish at least once or twice a week.

People who consume fatty fish on a regular basis have a lower risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, and a variety of other common health problems (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6).

Salmon tastes nice and is quite easy to prepare. It also makes you feel full while consuming less calories.

2. Kale

Kale reigns first among leafy greens.

It is high in vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and bioactive substances.

Kale is abundant in vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K1. It is also high in vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, and manganese. A serving of one cup contains only 9 calories (9Trusted Source).

Kale may be more nutritious than spinach. Both are high in nutrients, but kale contains fewer oxalates, which can bind minerals like calcium in your intestine and hinder them from being absorbed (10Trusted Source).

Kale and other greens are also abundant in bioactive chemicals, such as isothiocyanates and indole-3-carbinol, which have been demonstrated in test-tube and animal experiments to combat cancer (11Trusted Source, 12).

3. Seaweed

The sea is home to more than just fish. It also has an abundance of greenery.

The ocean has thousands of different plant species, some of which are quite nutritious. They are commonly referred to as seaweed (13Trusted Source).

Seaweed is commonly used in cuisines such as sushi. Many sushi meals feature nori, a form of seaweed used as an edible wrapping.

Seaweed is frequently more nutritious than terrestrial veggies. It contains a lot of minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese (14Trusted Source).

It also contains a variety of beneficial chemicals, such as phycocyanins and carotenoids. Some of these chemicals are antioxidants with strong anti-inflammatory properties (15Reliable Source).

But seaweed truly shines due to its high iodine concentration, which your body requires to generate thyroid hormones.

Eating a high iodine seaweed like kelp a few times per month can provide your body with all of the iodine it requires.

If you dislike the flavour of seaweed, you can take it as a supplement. Dried kelp tablets are inexpensive and high in iodine.

4. Garlic

Garlic is a fantastic ingredient.

It can make any plain food wonderful and is very healthful.

It has a high concentration of vitamins C, B1, and B6, as well as calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium (16Trusted Source).

Garlic is also abundant in sulphur compounds that are good to the body, such as allicin.

Many studies indicate that allicin and garlic may reduce blood pressure, total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. It also aids in the increase of HDL (good) cholesterol, potentially lowering the risk of heart disease (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).

Garlic contains anti-cancer effects as well. Some older studies indicate that persons who consume a lot of garlic had a considerably decreased risk of several common malignancies, including colon and stomach cancers (21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).

Raw garlic contains antibacterial and antifungal effects as well (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).

5. Shellfish

Many sea creatures are high in nutrients, but shellfish may be the most nutrient-dense of all.

Clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels are all popular shellfish.

Clams are one of the greatest sources of vitamin B12 available, with 100 grammes providing more than 16 times the RDI. They also include a lot of vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, selenium, and iron (25Trusted Source).

Oysters are very high in nutrients. Only 100 grammes provide 600% of the RDI for zinc, 200% of the RDI for copper, plus significant levels of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and other minerals (26Trusted Source).

Despite the fact that shellfish is one of the world’s most nutritious foods, most people rarely eat it.

6. Potatoes

Potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese are all abundant in potatoes. They also contain vitamin C and the majority of B vitamins (27Reliable Source).

They have a small amount of practically every nutrient you require. There are reports of humans living for extended periods of time on nothing but potatoes.

Potatoes are also among the most satiating foods. When researchers analysed the satiety values of several foods, boiled potatoes outperformed all other foods (28Trusted Source).

Allowing potatoes to cool after cooking results in the formation of resistant starch, a fiber-like material with numerous health benefits (29Trusted Source).

7. Liver

For millions of years, humans and our distant ancestors have eaten animals.

However, in the modern Western diet, muscle meat has taken precedence over organ meats. Muscle meat is nutritionally deficient when compared to organ meat.

The liver is by far the most nutritious of all the organs.

The liver is a unique organ that performs hundreds of metabolic activities. Its job includes storing vital nutrients for the remainder of your body.

(30Trusted Source): A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of beef liver includes (30Trusted Source):

Vitamin B12: 1,176% of the daily value
More than 50% of the DV for vitamins B5, B6, niacin, and folate
Vitamin B2: 201% of the daily value
Vitamin A: 634% of the daily value
Copper: 714 percent of the DV
More than 30% of the DV for iron, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium
29 grammes of high-quality animal protein
Eating liver once a week is a smart approach to guarantee that you get enough of these essential nutrients.