7 Nutrient-Dense Foods You Could Literally Survive Off Of Forever

Nutrient-dense foods provide the greatest amount of nutrition for the lowest number of calories. They’re not the salty, savory snacks you love, but they’re worth trying. Many of them might turn out to be familiar to you, and they could keep you alive for a while if your options suddenly diminished.

Garlic

If you’re a huge garlic enthusiast, you’re in luck. It may not be the smartest thing to eat before walking into a room of people you’re trying to impress. In the safety of your own home, though, it’s not a vegetable you want to avoid.

Garlic’s fiber, vitamin B6, and vitamin C content make it a major source of essential nutrients, especially when you add it to other foods.

Dark chocolate

Usually, chocolate ends up on your “do not eat” list after you indulge a little too much under stress. Too much of anything isn’t great — but you might benefit from eating dark chocolate more regularly. Dark chocolate has more cocoa per ounce than milk chocolate, which means you benefit more from that cocoa when eating it.

Dark chocolate specifically provides plenty of fiber, iron, and other essential minerals to keep you from getting sick. Some studies even suggest eating it regularly could decrease your risk of certain chronic conditions like heart disease.

Potatoes

Many people avoid potatoes — especially white potatoes — because they’re considered a starchy vegetable high in carbohydrates. In an emergency, potatoes could actually keep you alive.

They’re loaded with vitamin C, water, and carotenoids. They’re low in sodium and sugar, and contain decent amounts of fiber and protein to help improve your satiety and digestion.  Plant foods like potatoes provide many natural benefits to your health that processed foods simply can’t.

Egg yolks

Researchers and health officials used to think egg yolks were the enemy. They contain dietary cholesterol, which we used to blame for unhealthy levels of cholesterol in our blood.

It turns out you’d fare pretty well if you had to survive off of mostly eggs for a while. You could get a large percentage of your daily B vitamins, choline, iron, and more. Egg whites alone can’t give you everything you need — and the cholesterol in yolks probably won’t give you heart disease.

Salmon

If you’re a fan of seafood, you likely already know that many fish, like salmon, tuna, and tilapia, provide a large number of health benefits. Part of the Mediterranean diet, fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which promote long-term heart health.

When purchasing salmon, always choose wild salmon over farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is higher in caloriesand saturated fat than salmon caught in the wild.

Blueberries

You’ve probably heard that foods with antioxidants, like blueberries, help to reduce cancer risk and inflammation. There are plenty of much simpler benefits you can get from all kinds of fruit.

Blueberries provide calcium, collagen, potassium, and fiber to keep various parts of your body in top shape. Consuming fruits like blueberries promotes healthy digestion, weight loss, stable blood sugar levels, and helps to keep blood pressure on the low end of the spectrum.

Kale

Are you tired of kale yet? Many label it a “superfood,” which means every healthy recipe somehow finds a way to incorporate these leaves into your favorite dishes. It’s no miracle food, but it’s still good for you.

This vegetable belongs to the same family as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. It contains massive amounts of vitamins A and K, calcium, and potassium. Low in calories and high in water content, protein, and fiber, kale’s nutrition will fill you up and keep you healthy.