Nutrient density vs. caloric density

ANNOYING NEWS COMING YOUR WAY....

Guess what?

Unless you have crazy good genetics and 

an extremely exceptional metabolism... 

you CANNOT "exercise away" a bad diet.

.....I don't care if you spend an hour on the treadmill every night, if you are eating pizza, cheeseburgers, and chocolate chip cookies by the handful you will need to multiply that hour by about 5..... you cannot "exercise away" that many calories every day- it just isn't practical, who wants to do several hours of cardio every day? 

I SURE DONT! 

*Not to mention, these foods just aren't good for us. They are calorically dense (high in calories) and lack the key nutrients we need to maintain good health.

I'm all about feeling satisfied after I eat, not full, but satisfied. 

I don't like to feel hungry all the time- that's just no way to live! 

This is why we want to search for foods that are not calorically dense but that are nutrient dense and have a lot of volume. Foods that carry a lot of water and fiber will provide a fullness sensation without the over consumption of calories.  

There are tons of different things you can eat that will essentially take up more space in your stomach and make you feel full for less calories! Do not think that I am telling you to drastically decrease your caloric intake, I'm telling you to exchange the calories you are waisting on junk and start substituting some nutrient dense foods into your diet. If you add good things, the bad things will slowly fall by the wayside.

Think about this...

If you eat 3 Oreos as an afternoon snack you're looking at about 160 calories, 7g fat, and 14g sugar

 Plus, you probably won't feel satisfied after eating only 3 Oreos...who just eats 3 Oreos?

INSTEAD...

You can consume 2 apples for the same amount of calories, no fat, and a little less sugar (plus it's natural sugar) and trust me, you will feel very full!! Have you ever tried to eat 2 apples? They are very filling!

Apples have a high nutrient density and are relatively low in calories (low nutrient density). They also provide a lot of volume due to their water content. This is why as a snack or part of a well balanced meal they help provide satiety. This is only one little example! There are tons of foods that provide these same benefits...

Fruit (2 servings per day it still has sugar!)

Veggies 

Greek yogurt (nonfat plain)

Chicken, Fish, Beans

quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes

protein shakes 

And my personal favorite......
EGGS!! 
Particularly scrambled egg whites which are the perfect "filler".
 When I say filler, I mean you can add these to anymeal to "bulk it up" (add volume and nutrients) without adding very many calories. To give you an idea, one egg white contains about 18 calories give or take a few calories depending on the size of the egg! That's great news for you because you can add them to just about anything!!
**My favorite meal** (I eat this almost every night) is sauteed fresh spinach and bell peppers (in coconut oil) with egg whites poured over the top and cooked and a microwaved sweet potato with a "laughing cow" cheese wedge. BEST.DINNER.EVER (especially for someone like me who loves a quick and convenient meal!) So incredibly filling and so full of nutrients.