The Most Nutrient Dense Foods Per Calorie
Leading a healthy lifestyle involves eating foods high in nutrients while avoiding empty calories. The “nutrient density” of a food refers to the levels of various nutrients in the food divided by the number of calories it contains. (1)
In order to identify the most nutrient-dense foods, we must look for foods that are high in essential nutrients relative to the number of calories they contain.
Calculating a food’s nutrient density involves determining which specific nutrients to assess. To create this ranking, we added all the daily values for the following nutrients:
Vitamins: Vitamins A, B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6, B9, B12, C, D, E, and K.
Minerals: Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, and Zinc.
Macronutrients: Fat, Carbohydrates, and Protein.
All these nutrients added together created a new nutrient density metric that we call "Total Daily Value" or "Total DV".
Below are 15 of the most nutrient-dense foods, these include fresh herbs like parsley, and dark leafy greens like swiss chard, kale, and spinach. Also on the list are shellfish (oysters), organ meats (liver), mushrooms, peppers, green onions, broccoli, and carrots. For even more high nutrient foods see the extended list of less common foods rich in nutrients.
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1. Parsley + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup chopped (60g) 1 tbsp (4g) 2634%DV (36 calories) 1580.4%DV (21.6 calories) 100.1%DV (1.4 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Raw Parsley. -
2. Swiss Chard + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup (36g) 1 leaf (48g) 1337%DV (19 calories) 481.3%DV (6.8 calories) 641.8%DV (9.1 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Raw Swiss Chard. -
3. Kale + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup, chopped (130g) 1457%DV (28 calories) 1894.1%DV (36.4 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Kale (Boiled, Drained). -
4. Watercress + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup, chopped (34g) 10 sprigs (25g) 534%DV (11 calories) 181.6%DV (3.7 calories) 133.5%DV (2.8 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Raw Watercress. -
5. Spinach + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup (180g) 1077%DV (23 calories) 1938.6%DV (41.4 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Spinach (Boiled, Drained). -
6. Mustard Greens + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup, chopped (140g) 1105%DV (26 calories) 1547%DV (36.4 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Mustard Greens (Boiled, Drained). -
7. Lettuce + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup shredded (36g) 1 head (360g) 394%DV (15 calories) 141.8%DV (5.4 calories) 1418.4%DV (54 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Green Leaf Lettuce. -
8. Oysters + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup, undrained (248g) 3 oz (85g) 1383%DV (68 calories) 3429.8%DV (168.6 calories) 1175.6%DV (57.8 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Canned Eastern Oysters. -
9. Liver + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 slice (81g) 3490%DV (175 calories) 2826.9%DV (141.8 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Pan Fried Beef Liver. -
10. Mushrooms (Exposed to UV Light) + Add
Mushrooms exposed to light will have much higher levels of vitamin D.Total DV in 100g 1 cup sliced (72g) 1 piece whole (20g) 407%DV (22 calories) 293%DV (15.8 calories) 81.4%DV (4.4 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Raw Cremini Mushrooms (Exposed To Sunlight). -
11. Sweet (Bell) Peppers + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 pepper, large (3-3/4" long, 3" dia) (186g) 10 strips (52g) 367%DV (27 calories) 682.6%DV (50.2 calories) 190.8%DV (14 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Raw Sweet Yellow Peppers. -
12. Arugula + Add
Total DV in 100g 1/2 cup (10g) 1 leaf (2g) 336%DV (25 calories) 33.6%DV (2.5 calories) 6.7%DV (0.5 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Arugula. -
13. Spring Onions + Add
Total DV in 100g 1 cup, chopped (100g) 1 medium (4-1/8" long) (15g) 406%DV (32 calories) 406%DV (32 calories) 60.9%DV (4.8 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Green Onions (Spring Onions, Scallions). -
14. Broccoli + Add
Total DV in 100g 1/2 cup, chopped (78g) 1 stalk, medium (7-1/2" - 8" long) (180g) 443%DV (35 calories) 345.5%DV (27.3 calories) 797.4%DV (63 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Broccoli (Boiled, Drained). -
15. Carrots + Add
Total DV in 100g 1/2 cup slices (78g) 1 carrot (46g) 439%DV (35 calories) 342.4%DV (27.3 calories) 201.9%DV (16.1 calories)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Carrots (Boiled, Drained).
Next ➞
More Nutrient Rich Foods
| Acerola (West Indian Cherry) | 2850%DV (32 calories) per 100 gram serving | 2793%DV (31.4 calories) per 1 cup (98 grams) | 136.8%DV (1.5 calories) per 1 fruit without refuse (5 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Acerola Cherries |
| Amaranth Leaves (Raw) | 1734%DV (23 calories) per 100 gram serving | 485.5%DV (6.4 calories) per 1 cup (28 grams) | 242.8%DV (3.2 calories) per 1 leaf (14 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Amaranth Leaves |
| Radicchio | 426%DV (23 calories) per 100 gram serving | 170.4%DV (9.2 calories) per 1 cup, shredded (40 grams) | 34.1%DV (1.8 calories) per 1 leaf (8 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Radicchio |
| Dandelion Greens (Raw) | 1419%DV (45 calories) per 100 gram serving | 780.5%DV (24.8 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (55 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Dandelion Green | |
| Chicory Greens (Raw) | 694%DV (23 calories) per 100 gram serving | 201.3%DV (6.7 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (29 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Chicory Greens | |
| Endive (Raw) | 473%DV (17 calories) per 100 gram serving | 118.3%DV (4.3 calories) per 1/2 cup, chopped (25 grams) | 2426.5%DV (87.2 calories) per 1 head (513 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Endive |
| Collards (Raw) | 875%DV (32 calories) per 100 gram serving | 315%DV (11.5 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (36 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Collards | |
| Sweet Potato Leaves (Raw) | 601%DV (42 calories) per 100 gram serving | 210.4%DV (14.7 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (35 grams) | 96.2%DV (6.7 calories) per 1 leaf (12-1/4" long) (16 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Sweet Potato Leaves |
| Chinese Broccoli (Cooked) | 299%DV (22 calories) per 100 gram serving | 263.1%DV (19.4 calories) per 1 cup (88 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Cooked Chinese Broccoli | |
| Jute Potherb (Cooked) | 493%DV (37 calories) per 100 gram serving | 428.9%DV (32.2 calories) per 1 cup (87 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Cooked Jute Potherb | |
Related
Data Sources and References
- Drewnowski A, Smith J, Fulgoni VL 3rd. A proposed nutrient density score that includes food groups and nutrients to better align with dietary guidance Nutrients. 2021 May 20;13(5):1734. doi: 10.3390/nu13051734. 34065287
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