What Is the World's Most Nutritious Food?

Updated July 2026

If you had to pick a single food that delivers the most nutrition per bite, what would it be? In one analysis that ranked foods by "nutritional fitness," grouping them to meet daily nutrient needs with the fewest possible foods, one humble food came out on top: the almond. Here's why this small nut punches so far above its weight, and why it's a cornerstone of what we do at Step One Foods.

Why are almonds considered so nutritious?

Because they pack an unusual amount of heart-healthy nutrition into a tiny package. A single ounce of almonds contains about 163 calories, 8.8 grams of monounsaturated fat (the healthy kind found in olive oil), 3.4 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 6 grams of protein, 39 mg of plant sterols, and 3.5 grams of fiber. That's a remarkable amount of cholesterol-fighting, heart-supporting nutrition from a small handful, which is exactly what earned almonds their top ranking.

What specific nutrients make almonds special?

A few stand out. First, almonds are one of the best food sources of vitamin E, delivering about 37% of the recommended daily allowance per ounce. That matters because higher vitamin E intake from food has been linked to lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and dementia, a benefit that, notably, has never been shown when the vitamin comes from supplements instead. Second, a raw almond's brown skin is especially rich in antioxidants, and regular consumption has been shown to lower markers of oxidative stress. That's important because LDL ("bad") cholesterol has to be oxidized before it deposits in your arteries, so reducing oxidation reduces the chance it causes harm. Third, an ounce of almonds provides about 20% of recommended daily magnesium, a mineral that supports healthy blood sugar and blood pressure and is often in short supply.

Don't nuts make you gain weight?

It's a reasonable worry, but the evidence points the other way. Despite being calorie-dense and high in fat, nuts have actually been shown to help with weight management. They're highly satiating, so they tend to lower overall calorie intake across the day, especially when they replace processed carbohydrates rather than adding to them. It's a good example of why the quality of a food matters more than its calorie count alone. (There's more on this in why nuts are so good for you.)

How does Step One use almonds?

Almonds are a cornerstone ingredient across much of our product line, chosen for exactly the reasons above. You'll find raw, skin-on almonds in many of our foods, though not every product contains them; a few, like our Dark Chocolate Walnut Bar, Barbecue Puffs, and Peanut Butter Bars, are built around other whole-food ingredients instead. That's by design: every ingredient in every Step One product is selected for its documented health-promoting properties, with no fillers, no preservatives, and no wasted calories. Almonds just happen to be one of the very best building blocks we have, which is why they show up so often. It's a big part of what makes our foods both different and genuinely good for you.

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