High Density Foods - Calorie-Dense
Foods
What are High Density or
Calorie Dense Foods
High-density foods are foods
which, measured by volume, contain a large amount of calories. Calorie-dense
foods are typically high in fat and/or sugar. For example, candy bar is
a high-density food. It contains lots of sugar and fat, so it is lots
of calories in a small package. One or two bites and you've taken in 50
or 100 calories. By comparison, an apple is low-density. It takes many
bites to eat an apple, but you take in only 80-90 calories.
Beware High-Fat Calorie
Dense Foods
Imagine you've eaten a big
meal. Your stomach is full. Then along comes the sweet trolley full of
tempting high-density desserts like cheesecake, chocolate mousse and the
like. No matter how full you feel, often it's easy to eat one of these
calorie-dense desserts. A few mouthfuls and you've eaten maybe 500 calories.
To eat the equivalent calories
in the form of low-density foods, you'd have to eat 5 apples, or 5 oranges
or 7 slices of whole wheat bread.
Examples of High Density
Foods - Eat Less to Reduce Calories
High density foods are not
ideal for weight loss or for anyone trying to maintain a calorie-controlled
diet.
Typical calorie-dense foods
include any food or beverage high in sugar and/or fat, like all fatty
meats, salami, candy, cookies, crackers, tortilla chips, fried anything,
cola, beer, cream, luxury ice-cream and so on are all high-density and
should be eaten in moderation.
Examples of Low Density
Foods - Eat More
Most low-density foods can
be eaten with far less worry about weight gain.
- Most fresh or frozen fruits
or vegetables.
- Bran-based or whol wheat
cereals, like shredded wheat.
- Rice cakes.
- Air-popped popcorn.
- Whole-wheat bread, preferably
with lots of fiber.
- Brown rice.
For calorie details of 2500
Foods, see Calories
in Foods
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