Lowering Your Diet’s Caloric
Density: Eat More + Weigh
Less
The ideal weight loss program satisfies hunger, reduces
calories below what is needed and meets nutritional needs.
What if you could eat the same or more, lose weight and not be
hungry? If you choose the right foods you can eat more for the
same or fewer calories.
Foods that are high-calorie-dense (also called energy-dense)
have a high concentration of calories per bite.
In lowcalorie-dense food, the calories are diluted by water and
often fiber, so there are fewer calories in the same size
bite. This is very helpful if you are trying to lose or
maintain weight. Vegetables and fruits tend to be low in
calorie density, so filling your plate with these foods can
help you lose weight while minimizing feelings of hunger.
Several observational studies suggest that there is a
relationship between eating a calorically dense diet and
obesity. For example, one study found that normal weight
individuals consumed diets that were lower in calorie density
than obese individuals.
Experimental studies concentrating on the foods people
typically eat have found that calorie density is related to
calorie intake and the amount of food consumed. A study by
Ledikwe and colleagues found that people who reported eating a
lower-calorie-dense diet ate fewer calories yet consumed more
food by weight than people who ate a higher calorie-dense
diet. The outcomes from these studies show that a diet low in
calorie density lets people decrease their calorie intake
without decreasing the amount of food they consume.
Studies have also shown that calorie intake can be reduced
without increasing feelings of hunger. In one of these studies
by Rolls et al., participants were given a standard lunch on
different occasions preceded each time with either a firstcourse salad of either low or high calorie density or by no
salad. Participants ate fewer calories when the meal began
with the lower-calorie-dense salad and they stated feeling
just as full as those who had no first-course salad or had a
salad that was higher in energy density.
In yet another study by Rolls, researchers found that
consumption of a low-calorie-dense soup as a first course in a
meal maintained satiety while reducing calorie intake. Eating
the soup significantly increased the feeling of fullness and
reduced the participants’ hunger and calorie intake at the
subsequent meal.
Studies have shown that most people eat the same weight of
food at meals; if that amount is lower in calories, you’ll
still feel full. Let’s say you usually take 30 bites of food
before feeling full. If you choose caloric-dense foods, those
30 bites will deliver a large amount of calories before you
feel satisfied. If you choose low-calorie-dense foods, the
same 40 bites will deliver fewer calories but the same sense
of satisfaction. This lowers the calorie intake without
reducing the weight of food you eat.
So, if you learn how to lower the overall caloric density of
the foods you eat, you will feel full and satisfied. Lowering
your diet’s overall caloric density, as part of an integrated
program of exercise and behavioral management, can result in
significant weight loss that is sustained over time.
Foods vary in calorie density. For the same calories, you can
eat 20 times as much tomato by weight as pretzels. One and a
half fresh oranges has about 100 calories, and three pretzel
rods also have 100 calories. The oranges weigh 200 grams and
the pretzels weigh 25 grams, so the oranges have a lower
calorie density than the pretzels. You get more food by eating
the oranges, and more nutrition too.
You can calculate the calorie density of foods by dividing
the calories by the grams
Calories/Grams = Calorie Density
A calorie provides energy that fuels your body and a gram is
a measure of weight and about the weight of half a dime.
An example of food with high calorie density is ice cream.
It’s calories come from the caloric-dense sugar and the highfat calorie-rich cream. A one-half cup or 101 grams of the
product contains 260 calories. The calorie density of the ice
cream may be quantified as 260 calories/101 grams or 2.6
calories per gram).
In contrast to the high calorie dense ice cream, spinach has
low energy density of .23 calories per gram. There’s only a
few calories in a whole plateful of raw spinach leaves.
Another way to look at it, is in volume. One cup of butter has
1628 calories but one cup of spinach has 7 calories.
Left:
2
cups
cooked
pasta=400 calories Right: 2
cups
spiralized
cooked
zucchini=60 calories
1 cup cooked pasta and 1 cup
cooked zucchini = 260
calories. Same volume as 400
calories of cooked pasta.
Take a look at the picture. One measuring cup contains 2 cups
of cooked pasta that has 400 calories. The other cup contains
2 cups of cooked “noodles” made of spiralized zucchini. This
cup of zucchini has 60 calories. You can eat the whole 2 cup
serving of either or what if you really wanted some pasta but
want to reduce the caloric-density of your meals so you can
eat more and feel full? Mix the two together as I did in the
second photo. I mixed 1 cup of pasta with 1 cup of zucchini
for a 260 calorie lunch instead of a 400 calorie lunch of all
pasta. I also increased the nutrient content of my lunch. And
it truly tasted delicious. And I have some leftovers for
dinner that I plan on serving with a piece of salmon.
See what I mean? Vegetables and fruits tend to be low in
energy density, so filling your plate with these foods can
help you lose weight while minimizing feelings of hunger.
Foods like ice cream that are high in fat, typically are
calorie-dense because fat has twice as many calories as either
carbohydrates or fat. A high-fat diet promotes weight gain
because it’s high in calorie density. A gram of fat has 9
calories and a gram of fat or protein provides 4 calories.
Decreasing the amount of calorie-dense fat will decrease the
overall calories of your meal too. Limit the high-fat,
calorically-dense condiments and foods that you eat and this
will lower the overall calories that you eat. Instead of
butter and sour cream on your potato, choose only one, or use
low-fat sour cream or salsa. Instead of a cream sauce, order a
tomato sauce based one. If you still want to enjoy butter on
your bread once in a while, try using less. Switch from 2%
milk to skim and you’ll save 40 calories from the fat alone.
Same volume of milk, fewer calories. And, yes, you will get
used to the taste especially when you start enjoying your new
thinner body.
The granola has 453 calories
versus the Kashi Cinnamon
Harvest which has 185. The
granola is more calorically
dense in part because it has
more fat, 12.5 grams versus
1 gram in the Cinnamon
Harvest.
To lower the calorie density of your diet, eat
are high in water and/or fiber, including
fruits, vegetables, and broth based soups. The
in vegetables, fruits and whole grains plays a
controlling hunger.
more foods that
cooked grains,
water and fiber
crucial role in
I also recommend seafood, fish, chicken breast, lean meats,
and low-fat or nonfat dairy products are also on the menu.
Because of its protein content, milk, even nonfat, helps
people feel full and thus eat less. And choose whole-grain
pasta, breads, and cereals; their fiber makes them more
filling.
Fruits and vegetables are a good choice because not only do
they have a low-caloric density, they are also nutrient-dense,
which means they have a lot of nutrients per serving.
A nutrient-dense food provides a relatively high amount of
healthy nutrients and a rather low amount of calories per
gram. For example, one-half cup of strawberries weighs 152
grams and provides 49 calories. The strawberries provide only
0.3 calories per gram (49 calories/152 grams) of food, not to
mention, 149% of the recommended daily value of vitamin-C and
3 grams of fiber!
When choosing fruits, opt for those that are fresh or frozen
instead of fruit juices or dried fruit, which are higher in
sugar and thus higher in calories per gram. Snack on grapes
instead of raisins. A 100-calorie serving of raisins is only
one-quarter cup; but a 100-calorie serving of grapes is nearly
two cups. It’s obvious which is going to make you feel fuller.
Calorie dense foods: High fat red meat, processed meats, fatty
dairy products, and processed foods high in fat and sugar.
Processed snack foods, candy, packaged snack foods, cakes,
cookies and candies.
Traditional fast foods such as
cheeseburgers, fried chicken, and French fries and bakery
items.
High-calorie density food examples: Prime rib has about 3.9
calories per gram. Salami 4.3 calories per gram. Cheesecake
3.2 calories per gram Butter 7.2 calories per gram. Cheddar
cheese 4.1 calories per gram.
Nutrient-low-calorie-dense foods: Most fruits, non-starchy
vegetables, air-popped popcorn, broth-based soups, fat-free
dairy products, chicken, pork tenderloin, seafood, fish and
beans. High fiber foods nonstarchy vegetables like broccoli,
spinach, lettuce and carrots, are lower in energy density than
starchy vegetables, like potatoes, peas and corn. Whole grains
like oatmeal, air-popped popcorn, whole wheat and brown rice,
and foods with lots of added water, such as soups. Lower fat
foods, including pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals and yogurt,
also tend to have a lower energy density.
Low-calorie density food examples: Peaches have .36 calories
per gram. Apples .49 calories per gram. Carrots .11 calories
per gram, Air-popped Popcorn 3.8 calories per gram (but you
get a lot of food volume for the weight)
Energy and nutrient-dense foods: Dried fruits, fatty-fish,
nuts, seeds, and nut butters. Starchy vegetables and fruits
such as peas, corn, and avocados. Olive oil-based salad
dressings. Whole wheat bread and other whole grains.
Energy and nutrient-dense foods examples: Dates have 2.8
calories per gram, Avocados 1.6 calories per gram, Vinaigrette
Salad Dressing 2.95 calories per gram, Corn 3.6 calories per
gram.
You don’t have to change your entire diet. By eating more
meals and snacks that are lower in calorie density, you can
still enjoy reasonable portions of your favorite calorie-dense
foods whole controlling calories. If you continue to eat the
typical volume of food you eat, yet lower the calories in each
portion, you’ll consume fewer calories and feel just as full.
If you choose the right foods you can eat more for the same
calories.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables to help you
minimize your portions of foods higher in calorie density
while still getting enough to eat so you feel full.
Add more vegetables to soups, stews, omelets, lasagna, chili
and other main dishes to lower the energy density of the whole
dish. Try using spiralized or shredded zucchini, spinach,
diced green pepper, broccoli, chopped onion, diced carrots,
diced mushrooms, tomatoes, and dark leafy greens.
SAME VOLUME OF FOOD
Left: 1/2 cup low-fat
ice cream and 1/2 cup
berries
=
164
calories Right: 1 cup
regular ice cream =
400 calories
Instead of having 1 cup of ice cream for dessert, have ½ cup
of reduced-fat ice cream topped with ½ cup of fruit. Click
link to see more.
Use lower fat meat and cheese or use less of the higher fat
ingredients.
Exchange crackers, pretzels, and chips with carrot sticks and
bell pepper strips to serve with your favorite salsa, hummus
or other dip.
Try having a big portion of a low-calorie salad, soup or fruit
at the beginning of the meal.
Making a cheese appetizer tray? Instead of salami use grapes.
Take fruit and vegetables with you for snacks. This will help
you avoid the temptation of turning to the vending machine for
processed foods when you get hungry.
Choose lower fat protein. For instance, instead of a rib eye
(2.9 calories per gram) choose cod (.82). Instead of bacon
(5.4 calories per gram) choose ham (2.0).
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