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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Diets and Meal Planning

Nutrient-dense

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

adjectiveCommon term

In nutrition & dietetics, nutrient-dense means: Describing a food that provides a lot of vitamins, minerals, protein or fiber compared with the number of calories it contains.

In Turkish: besin ögesi yoğunluğu yüksek, besleyici değeri yüksek

How it is used

Common in guidelines and counseling, especially for older adults, children and people with small appetites. Vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, eggs, fish and yogurt are typical examples. The noun is 'nutrient density'; the opposite idea is 'empty calories'.

Example sentences

  1. For patients with a poor appetite, every bite should be as nutrient-dense as possible.

  2. Lentil soup is a cheap, nutrient-dense option for school lunches.

Common collocations

  • nutrient-dense foods
  • nutrient density
  • empty calories
  • nutrient-dense snack
  • nutrientA substance in food that the body needs to grow, repair itself, produce energy and stay healthy, such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals and water.
  • energy balanceThe relationship between the energy a person takes in from food and drink and the energy the body uses. When the two are equal, body weight tends to stay stable.
  • whole grainA grain such as wheat, oats, barley or brown rice that still contains all three parts of the kernel: the bran, the germ and the endosperm.
  • ultra-processed foodAn industrial food product made mostly from refined ingredients and additives, such as many soft drinks, packaged snacks, instant noodles and processed meats. The term comes from the NOVA classification.

More terms: Diets and Meal Planning

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.