People who are underweight, on the other hand, can benefit from high-calorie-density foods.
Nuts, avocados, healthy oils, and other calorie-dense foods provide more calories in smaller portions.
This is helpful if you have little appetite.
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This article explains calorie density, how it is measured, and why it matters.
It also provides examples of low- and high-caloric density foods and how to incorporate them into your meal plan.
The energy density of a food or beverage can range from 0 to 900 depending on its composition.
When you eat more calories than your body burns, the excess is stored as body fat.
People who are underweight often need to consume more calories to prevent muscle wasting.
Focusing on calorie-dense foods can help restore weight loss due to an illness, eating disorder, or malnutrition.
Less than 2% of Americans are underweight.
Foods with a lower calorie density allow you to eat more volume for fewer calories.
Other calorie-dense foods, like nuts and seeds, are also nutrient-dense.
At the same time, low-calorie-density foods like fruits and vegetables tend to be nutrient-dense.
Vegetables
Non-starchy vegetables typically have the lowest energy density of all foods.
For example, dried figs have an energy density of 277.
Calorie-dense foods are often high in fat.
Skip the processed foods and opt for natural, nutrient-dense foods instead.
In moderation, these foods can be added to your diet to boost satiety.
These foods are considered empty calories and should be eaten sparingly, if at all.
Also, if you are chronically hungry, it’s possible for you to become irritable and tired.
This can lead to craving unhealthy foodspossibly binging on calorie-dense, nutrient-low snacks to stave off hunger.
Incorporating calorie-dense foods in a weight-loss diet helps you sustain your eating habits over a long period of time.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture.Dietary guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.FoodData Central.
2016;8(4):229. doi:10.3390/nu8040229
Bechthold A.Food energy density and body weight.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Low-energy-dense foods and weight management: Cutting calories while controlling hunger.
