A List of Calorie Dense Foods

diannethegeek
diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
edited April 2022 in Food and Nutrition
I'm posting this list with the intention of creating something that people can link to when someone is having a hard time reaching their calorie goal. I hope that other users will add more ideas in the comments.

Calorie-dense foods can be your best friend when you're trying to eat more. These are foods that pack a lot of calories into just a small amount, so they boost your calories quickly without putting a lot of extra food in your stomach. This is a generic list and it's definitely not comprehensive, but anything here can be included in a balanced diet (as long as there are no allergies, medical conditions, obviously):
  1. Avocado
  2. Guacamole
  3. Hummus
  4. Sour cream
  5. Cheese
  6. Whole eggs
  7. Full-fat dairy
  8. Greek yogurt
  9. Ice cream
  10. Peanut butter (or other Nut butters)
  11. Dark chocolate
  12. Honey
  13. Molasses
  14. Protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
  15. Fruit and fruit juices
  16. Bananas
  17. Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
  18. Potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
  19. Edamame
  20. Olives
  21. Seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
  22. Nuts
  23. Coconut
  24. Coconut oil
  25. Olive oil
  26. Butter
  27. Beans and lentils
  28. Whole grain pasta
  29. Quinoa
  30. Rice
  31. Cornbread
  32. Scones
  33. Muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
  34. Granola
  35. Pretzels
  36. Tuna
  37. Full-calorie condiments
  38. Full-calorie sauces & dressings
  39. Salmon
  40. Beef jerky
  41. Bacon
  42. Less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
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Replies

  • scottf4413
    scottf4413 Posts: 73 Member
    Thank you for taking the time to post this list. :)
  • spalazini
    spalazini Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you!!
  • XOXOMiriam
    XOXOMiriam Posts: 1 Member
    This isn't a food but Green Tea speeds up metabolism and it only has 1-2 calories per bag! It's my new fave drink! leo switch out regular milk for almond milk!
  • ImaniFitLife
    ImaniFitLife Posts: 5 Member
    THANK YOU SO MUCH !!
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  • megmoore1991
    megmoore1991 Posts: 5 Member
    This is a good post to have! I think that a lot of these are good to use as a replacements or subs to a lot of the higher caloric things like a 6 cheese homemade mac and cheese bake.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    congrats on getting labels as "announcement" @diannethegeek !

    Great list of foods :)
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited June 2015
    XOXOMiriam wrote: »
    This isn't a food but Green Tea speeds up metabolism and it only has 1-2 calories per bag! It's my new fave drink! leo switch out regular milk for almond milk!
    Green Tea does *not* speed up metabolism.

    Not sure why you posted this, as it's completely off-topic.




    Thanks for a great list, OP! <3