A List of Calorie Dense Foods

diannethegeek · April 2015

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):

Avocado
Guacamole
Hummus
Sour cream
Cheese
Whole eggs
Full-fat dairy
Greek yogurt
Ice cream
Peanut butter (or other Nut butters)
Dark chocolate
Honey
Molasses
Protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
Fruit and fruit juices
Bananas
Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
Potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
Edamame
Olives
Seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
Nuts
Coconut
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Butter
Beans and lentils
Whole grain pasta
Quinoa
Rice
Cornbread
Scones
Muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
Granola
Pretzels
Tuna
Full-calorie condiments
Full-calorie sauces & dressings
Salmon
Beef jerky
Bacon
Less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)

jgnatca · April 2015

A keeper, for sure. When I was struggling to keep to 1,200 calories a day, I'd check my numbers in the evening and have a high-cal snack to end off my day. A list like this can really help.

glevinso · April 2015

What do you define as calorie dense? Eggs, Pretzels, edamame and olives, just to snag a few things off your list, are pretty "light" in terms of weight to calorie ratio.

I fully agree with things like cheese, peanut butter or avocados as being calorie dense though.

In any case, this all sounds like the stuff I eat most days just to fuel myself

diannethegeek · April 2015

glevinso wrote: »

What do you define as calorie dense? Eggs, Pretzels, edamame and olives, just to snag a few things off your list, are pretty "light" in terms of weight to calorie ratio.

I fully agree with things like cheese, peanut butter or avocados as being calorie dense though.

In any case, this all sounds like the stuff I eat most days just to fuel myself

I don't use a definition for "calorie dense" myself. The list was originally created to help those who needed a boost of just a few hundred more calories to get into a safer calorie range. I tried to include a broad list of items to try and hit a variety of needs and tastes and I wanted to include a number of smaller things that could be added to dishes here and there to give someone a boost. I included whole eggs specifically because many dieters avoid the yolks and I wanted to help broaden their idea of what's healthy (much as I included whole milk and full calorie condiments and sauces).

The list has been helpful for many users and it was suggested that I repost it somewhere in it's own thread. We're well past my window to edit the post, but hopefully users will still be able to get some use out of it. As I stated, I hope that others will add their own suggestions.

jessicatombari · April 2015

Needed this!!!

auddii · April 2015

Oh yay! Definitely bookmarking this for quick referral!

Bockerz · April 2015

Thanks for posting this! Really useful to have a list like this on here.

Annie_01 · April 2015

I'll take the ice cream with a sliced banana covered in peanut butter and chocolate syrup.

Wait...that would be my whole day's calorie allowance.

scottf4413 · May 2015

Thank you for taking the time to post this list.

auddii · May 2015

Ugh. posting fail.

spalazini · May 2015

Thank you!!

avskk · May 2015

What a great resource. I love it.

Heavy cream (in coffee or as a milk replacement in recipes) can pack an almost unnoticeable wallop. Eating skin on poultry is also a good idea (maybe covered under "less lean cuts of meat"). And speaking of skin... pork rinds or cracklings? They're not everyone's cup of tea, but they're tasty and light and particularly convenient for low-carbers.

hgycta · May 2015

For the past week or so I've been feeling incredibly lethargic and found myself often battling my own hunger, despite eating large quantities and maintaining the caloric goals set for maintenance. After assessing my lifestyle and determining that my higher activity levels recently at my workplace was likely making me need more calories, I decided to splurge and have half of one of those half pound reese's peanut butter cups that come in a pack featuring two (to total one pound). At first, that half of a half pound peanut butter cup (or 1/4 lb to keep things simple) didn't put a dent in my hunger, but I finished it pretty quick and enjoyed every moment of it.
Surprisingly, the next couple days my issues were resolved! I wasn't starving, and my energy levels were remarkable! I now feel much better, despite choosing to eat what some may consider "complete junk."
So if you want something high in calories, I suggest Reese's!
It really won't make you feel full in the moment, but if you portion it to fit your caloric needs, it will sure provide you with the energy you need! You'd be surprised!
(Please note: I do NOT recommend this if you're diabetic!)

sgjohnson92 · May 2015

This is a great resource, thank you. However is there a list on the forums that anyone knows about that is the complete opposite (Excluding veggies lol)

kjdaniel06 · May 2015

I'm new to the weight loss thing. So just know that I'm not saying anything to try to be rude or offensive. And I also don't have much time to read all of the comments to figure this out lol. But why do you want to have more calories? I thought you were supposed to intake less calories and exercise to burn them off?

CyberTone · May 2015

kjdaniel06 wrote: »

I'm new to the weight loss thing. So just know that I'm not saying anything to try to be rude or offensive. And I also don't have much time to read all of the comments to figure this out lol. But why do you want to have more calories? I thought you were supposed to intake less calories and exercise to burn them off?

Not everyone on MFP is trying to lose weight or looking for low calorie foods. There are some people who naturally have a low appetite or there are people who are bulking (eating above maintenance while resistance training to gain muscle) and are looking for food that is calorie-dense so they can meet their goals. There are people who have had weight loss surgery and can not eat a large amount of food at one time, so they also may need this list. There are also other situations where this list is very helpful.
There were only 13 comments to this post. That really is not too many comments to not be able to have read them prior to posting.

rboulet · May 2015

kjdaniel06 wrote: »

I'm new to the weight loss thing. So just know that I'm not saying anything to try to be rude or offensive. And I also don't have much time to read all of the comments to figure this out lol. But why do you want to have more calories? I thought you were supposed to intake less calories and exercise to burn them off?

I have found the more I focus on limiting my caloric intake the harder it sometimes is to stay at a healthy level. I get so wrapped up in not "wasting" my calories I don't eat enough then feel horrible. So, you do eat less within reason. Go too low and it's unhealthy and counterproductive.

XOXOMiriam · May 2015

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!

diannethegeek · May 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!

There have been a couple of studies that show green tea might have an effect on metabolism, but they aren't conclusive. And the effects that they do show would give someone about 50 extra calories per day, which is really within the margin of error that we see with calorie counting.

But since this is a list of foods for those trying to eat more calories to meet their goals, green tea seems counter-productive to that.

ImaniFitLife · May 2015

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!

Unknown · May 2015

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sodakat · May 2015

I looked up several of these entries and found that for an ounce they vary. But, a "normal" serving size of many of these is much more than an ounce, which would result in more calories.

dark chocolate - 170
salmon (raw) - 58
hummus - 50
beef jerky - 116
honey - 86
coconut - 100
avocado - 45
cheese - 110 (average)
edamame - 35

diannethegeek · May 2015

BFDeal wrote: »

People have trouble hitting 1200 calories? LOL

Yes. Especially newer users who might not have a broad experience with foods or who might have subsisted on things like sugary drinks before coming here. It's fairly common for people to cut out everything that they consider "bad" and find that they're left with very few calories in the process.

The point of this post is just to give as broad a list as possible for those who need a little help. They can take what they want and leave the rest behind. As I said in the OP, I'm hopeful that others will add their own ideas to supplement my list. Do you have anything that you could add?

maethridge · May 2015

This posting is perfect for me. I DO have a hard time hitting my daily goal. I am also starting to working out 3 times a week and know that I MUST keep up or go beyond my calorie goal. The best things that I have found are below. Some may already be on your list but I'm just giving my "go to" calories.

Greek yogurt ranch dip (powered ranch mixed with Greek yogurt.
Rice crackers or nut crackers (use for dipping)
Hummus
banana
avocado
tomato & basil salad with balsamic and olive oil
protein bars

Unknown · May 2015

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megmoore1991 · May 2015

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.

Glinda1971 · May 2015

Love the list! Thanks for posting.

To the poster who seemed skeptical that people have a hard time hitting 1200 it's a fairly easy problem to have.

I have a small appetite - I got fat from too many potato chips, too much drinking including a fairly heavy pepsi habit and not enough exercise. I have absolutely no problem struggling some days to get to 1200. If I get too busy at work that I can't get my planned snacks in, if I fill up on vegetables before I eat the higher calorie stuff I planned, etc. The first couple weeks were very hard until I learned that 35 calorie yogurt isn't my friend, and that cheese and a glass of milk can be the boost that I need to hit my goals, and that sometimes I have to change my supper plan so it is higher calorie because I'm really too low. I try to stay between 1200 and 1500 now and I'm much happier.

Thanks again @diannethegeek

PaleoMoxie · May 2015

diannethegeek wrote: »

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):

avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses

Glad to see an overall healthy list, as most of these are fairly nutrient-dense as well.

Azexas · May 2015

congrats on getting labels as "announcement" @diannethegeek !

Great list of foods

zoltanszecsi · June 2015

Very need for this list. Thank you.

snickerscharlie · 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!

A List of Calorie Dense Foods

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