The 12 most cost effective, nutrient dense foods you should make staples in your diet.
Often I discuss and analyze research on foods from a therapeutic perspective. When referring to the “therapeutic” benefit from foods, I am typically referring to said food’s respective benefits in preventing disease, sometimes even a specific disease, like cancer, or its overall propensity to help you live longer.
“Therapeutic” foods typically have antioxidants or other phytochemicals in them that can aid in longevity and/or disease prevention.
This can often get confused with “nutrient dense” foods, and I think is often purposely used and meant to confuse people to further promote a specific product.
“Therapeutic” foods that contain high amounts of antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals may also contain higher amounts of micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which no doubt are beneficial and should be an important part of the diet, and thus, is why they are often referred to as “nutrient dense”.
However, I think this is misleading, because a lot of micronutrient dense foods, which are most definitely considered “therapeutic” in my book, are not macronutrient dense.
When it boils down to it, macronutrients are what matter first.
These are your proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, with fats and proteins being most important when determining if something is macronutrient dense, because the human body literally needs fat and protein to survive, and ample amounts of high quality versions of both to thrive.
You cannot live off a food that is devoid of fats and proteins, but has lots of vitamins and minerals (aka micronutrients) like kale, as you would malnourish, and over time, would literally starve to death.
You can however, live off foods that are loaded with fats and proteins (aka macronutrients) such as grass fed ground beef, heck, you could live off grain fed ground beef no problem even.
I think part of this diversion in calling foods that are rich in vitamins & minerals, or antioxidants, “nutrient dense” has been partially meant to be misleading.
I am going to add my two cents (take it for whatever it’s worth) and try to do my part to clear up any confusion, and clarify what I think it means to be a “nutrient dense” food.
For example, there was a very well funded documentary on Netflix about 4-5 years ago called “Gamechangers" and it was promoting going plant based for elite level athletes. We’re talking pro athletes and Olympians.
One of the many absurd claims the film made was that “lettuce was more nutrient dense than salmon”.
Yes lettuce; this food we know for basically being the nutritional equivalent of water.
They made this distinction based on the fact that lettuce had more vitamins and minerals than salmon.
Therefore, according to the filmmakers, lettuce is more “nutrient dense”.
This is absurd, and quite frankly, I think, dangerous to be promoting to athletes.
Salmon, especially wild caught, is loaded with healthy protein, and super healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which I think anyone can agree is more beneficial for an athlete.
I assure you, if you took two athletes, heck, humans in general, even non-athletes, and had one eat only wild caught salmon, and one eat only lettuce (what the documentary claimed was a more nutrient dense food), the individual eating only salmon would be far more healthier and thriving at a much higher level.
I whole-heartedly guarantee that.
I would argue that salmon is more nutrient dense in the nutrients that most definitely matter first, your macronutrients, especially fat and protein, and therefore, is truly the more “nutrient dense” food.
Okay, off my soapbox.
This week, I will do my best to add to the conversation, and try to more clearly define what “nutrient dense” should be, and then distinguish that between a “therapeutic” food, and provide my top list in the segment below. Next week I will follow up with my list of top "therapeutic" foods.
Let’s begin by defining what I would consider a truly “nutrient dense” food to be.
As discussed above, first and foremost, a truly nutrient dense food contains higher amounts of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and/or proteins.
Since fats and proteins are the two macronutrients that are literally critical for survival, I place a greater emphasis on those over foods higher in carbohydrates, although there will be some carbohydrate based foods that do make this list as well.
If a food is macronutrient dense in some form, and also has a high amount of micronutrients, that is definitely taken into account, which means, there could be foods that make both the “nutrient dense” list and the “therapeutic list”.
Finally, I do take cost effectiveness into account.
So, the more cost effective and macronutrient dense a food is, the more heavily I will “weight” that food on this list.
This list is in order, so my personal most nutrient dense food is at the top and I work my way down from there.
Grass Fed Ground Beef
If there was one food you could eat for the rest of your life and actually thrive on, it would probably be beef. Beef is rich in blood boosting b-vitamins, iron, and other vitamins and minerals (so it’s actually micronutrient dense), as well as the most bioavailable forms of fat and protein. I choose ground beef as it’s the most cost effective form of beef, and because it’s typically excess ground, it contains all the gristle you don’t eat on a steak as it’s tough, and the gristle contains natural collagen and gelatin which is great for your joints, gut, and hair, skin, and nails. As mentioned, even grain fed ground beef is something you could thrive on, but grass fed is always better, and is still very cost effective.
Whole Eggs
If you wanted to choose a single food to live on forever and still thrive, and it wasn’t beef, your next best bet would be whole eggs. Eggs are rich in both healthy fats and protein, and are also micronutrient powerhouses just like beef. Since you are what you eat…eats, ideally, you want to look for “pasture raised” on the box. Even despite egg prices going up quite a bit, they are still an incredible “bang for your buck” food.
Beef Liver
Not only is beef liver rich in high quality protein, but it is considered nature’s multivitamin, and is more micronutrient dense than any plant based food. Furthermore, because all the vitamins and minerals come from the liver, they are effectively pre-digested, and therefore already in a far more bioavailable state. Admittedly, beef liver can be tough for some, and is for me, so I choose to work my beef liver in with my meals through freeze dried capsules.
Grass Fed Butter
Plain and simple, there is no cheaper way to work super high quality fat into your diet, and yes, real butter naturally contains very beneficial, highly bioavailable fats for the body.
Grass Fed, Whole Milk Based Dairy
Since real dairy, with as little processing as possible, is really the food nature creates as the perfect first food for all infants, it has a pretty perfect combination of highly bioavailable fat and protein. This would include grass fed, whole milk, yogurt, and raw cheeses.
Whey or Beef Protein Powder
Since protein is critical for supporting your muscle tissue, helps regulate blood sugar, boosts metabolism, aids in repair and recovery, and is used to produce neurotransmitters like dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, getting more high quality protein in your diet should be seen as essential. A whey or beef protein powder supplement is an easy, fast, and cost effective way to get more high quality protein in your diet on a day to day basis, and to aid in post workout recovery.
NOTE: If you are on a plant based diet, it’s probably even more important to use a high quality plant based protein supplement as well as supplementing with essential amino acids as your diet is naturally lacking in high quality protein.
Raw Honey
This is the first carbohydrate dominant food to make the list. Carbohydrates are technically not essential for survival like fat and protein, but they are very beneficial as a primary energy source for the brain and body, when not in a processed, pro-inflammatory form. Raw honey is the most ideal carbohydrate source for the body, is a great source of vitamins and minerals, and contains other compounds that boost immune system function.
Sardines
Fish in general is a great source of bioavailable protein, and sardines are very rich in heart and brain healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which also have a very beneficial anti-inflammatory effect on our joints. Sardines make the list due to their cost effectiveness, but you can also opt for wild caught salmon if you’re okay spending a little more.
Pasture Raised Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs are much cheaper than the chicken breast and more macronutrient dense, as they are also fatty, whereas the chicken breast is not. As always, try to go “pasture raised”, and opt for the less expensive thighs of the chicken, which are rich in both quality protein and fat.
Avocado
Add this relatively inexpensive food alongside high protein foods as a great way to work in a good amount of heart and joint healthy fats
Pili Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, and Walnuts
These nuts are going to be your best bet for nuts that are highest in healthy fats, and they also don’t contain some of the phytochemicals that other nuts contain, that may make them more difficult to digest and synthesize.
Organic Berries
Being a fruit, berries are an ideal source of carbohydrates and are also very rich in micronutrients and longevity boosting polyphenol antioxidants. This includes most berries: açaí, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
Conclusion
Life is about systems.
Systems help set us up for success.
An example of a system for eating to thrive would be simply choosing more foods off the above list and working them into your diet as much as possible.
The above macronutrient dense foods, and thus, truly “nutrient dense” foods, should make up your primary diet if eating to thrive.
The majority of these foods are rich in high quality, highly bioavailable proteins and fats, which are absolutely critical for survival, and especially if you want to thrive in life on a day to day basis.
The foods that will make up my “most therapeutic foods” list next week are foods that you want to add to your diet more often in a complementary fashion.
The foods on that list you are not necessarily eating for their macronutrient density (although there might be a bit of crossover), rather, you are eating them to help prevent disease, and aid in your overall longevity.
That said, longevity begins with truly nourishing your body on a day to day basis, with high quality carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, then complementing those macros with the therapeutic foods.
For example, grass fed ground beef will more thoroughly nourish you and help you thrive on a day to day basis, which will naturally help you live healthier, and longer, but a swig of high quality extra virgin olive oil, and some organic dark chocolate at the end of the day will help further prevent and stave off disease long term.
Both “nutrient dense” and “therapeutic” foods should be worked into your overall diet, but it’s the “nutrient dense” foods that should make up your primary diet, and the “therapeutic” foods should be seen as complementary.
You will also notice that most of the foods on the “most nutrient dense” list are going to be animal based, and the foods on the “most therapeutic” list are going to be plant based.
Pressure is a privilege.
We often view pressure as stressful, and naturally, it can be.
However, it is also a privilege to have pressure on you.
It means you’re doing something worth doing.
If you have children, you probably put a high amount of pressure on yourself to ensure you are being the kind of role model and example to them that they need.
That pressure is a privilege.
It is an absolute privilege to be the father to my young daughter.
If you have pressure on you to succeed or come through for others in other areas of life, whether it be at work, in the community, or other areas of leadership, that can definitely create some stress in your life.
Use that stress as fuel, rather than something that wears on you.
If others are looking to, or depending on you to deliver, or come through for them in some capacity, it’s because they trust you, they know you can do it, and that’s a pretty cool thing to be in that position.
I’m the CEO and co-founder of one of, or what may end up being the fastest growing restaurant/retail brand in the history of Wisconsin.
I think about that a lot, and it is my intention to see that through.
That comes with more than its share of responsibility, and thus, pressure.
And it is also an incredible privilege to be doing the work I am doing, and all that responsibility and subsequent pressure is merely a reminder of what a privilege it is.
