When considering a diet, many people need help remembering that it is essential to focus on nutrients instead of calories. The primary way out of the excessive weight people opt for is by counting BMI and calories and getting started on a calorie-deficit diet.

However, most of us don’t see significant changes in weight scale, inches, or overall health. Why is that?  You may have had the whole idea wrong!

Why don’t you try focusing on the nutrients rather than counting calories? Let’s have an insight into what can happen when you focus on nutrients. 

How are Nutrient-Rich Foods More Useful than Counting Calories?

Nutrient-dense foods make you feel fuller for a long time and keep your body full of energy. 

On the other hand, when you’re just counting calories, you only consume a limited food focused on the calories solely, such as pre-prepped microwave foods and packaged foods. They don’t realize that focusing on nutrition is the best bet! 

According to research, food quality may be more relevant than calorie counting.

Nutrient-Filled Foods to Focus On

Focus on eating a variety of high-quality foods while avoiding highly processed ones. You’ll see that tracking calories aren’t so significantly required to achieve and maintain your ideal weight.

By high-quality foods, we mean naturally occurring foods with a high nutritional density ratio—the number of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) per calorie. They make you feel full and minimize your tendency to overeat.

Examples of Nutrient-rich Food:

–   Fresh fruits (berries, bananas, citrus fruits, grapes, mangoes, peaches, etc.)

–   Vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, etc.)

–   Whole grains

–   Healthy fat such as olive oil, nuts, and seeds

–  Legumes (beans, peas, and lentils)

What to Do To Achieve a Nutrition-Filled Lifestyle?

Just counting calories and not taking care of your nutrition can weaken your immune system and body. As a result, you’ll start feeling drowsy. 

From now on, you should focus on the nutrients and quality of food. Following are some helpful tips;

–  Rather than grabbing a calorie bar, eat a healthy breakfast such as lean protein boiled eggs or Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruits.

–  When setting your plate for lunch and dinner, make it colorful by adding all the macronutrients; protein, carbohydrate, and fat—i.e., lean meat steak with steamed veggies.

–  Snacks aren’t always supposed to be unhealthy. Opt for nuts (if you aren’t allergic), seeds, smoothies, dark chocolate, etc.

–  For me, I enjoy snacking on avocados & slices of radishes, sauerkraut, grapes