Nuts & seeds

Nuts and seeds are among the most nutrient-dense whole foods by weight, yet they land in the middle of our scale, with a category median Nutrient Density Score of 65 across 60 entries. The reason is fat. Our score is relative and calculated per calorie, and the abundant oils that make these foods valuable also make them calorie-dense, which dilutes the vitamins, minerals, and protein packed into every 100 grams. Nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and vitamin E are genuinely concentrated here, but they share the ledger with a heavy energy load.

That mechanism explains why the top of this category is dominated by partially defatted flours and meals. Removing oil strips out calories while leaving the protein and minerals behind, which pushes per-calorie density sharply upward. Cottonseed flour, low fat tops the list at 91, and low-fat sesame flour reaches 87 on the same principle.

How to choose

For everyday eating, whole kernels remain the practical pick: dried sunflower seed kernels score a strong 84 and deliver vitamin E and magnesium in a portable form. If you want the mineral and protein payload without the full calorie load, defatted options like partially defatted sunflower flour (85) work well stirred into baked goods. Favor unsalted, minimally processed forms, and remember that individual calorie and nutrient needs vary.