I’m not a fan of counting calories. That’s a topic for another blog post, which you can read here. But to put it simply, I understand that counting calories works really great for some people, and I have done it myself in the middle of my orthorexia & obsession with reducing my waist size, and it’s just not my thing. I also don’t think it’s something that anyone should be doing long term. 

Instead of counting calories, I think it’s important to at least understand the concepts of calorie density and nutrient density. You may have seen me use the words “calorie dense” or “nutrient dense” in my social media or other blog posts, or when talking about certain foods in my recipe posts.

So for those of you who are confused about what exactly those terms mean and why they matter, here it is!

CALORIE DENSITY

Calorie density refers to the amount of calories in a specific amount of food. In a specific weight of food, to be exact. 

If a food is calorie dense, that means that a small amount of that food will contain a LOT of calories. 

For example, oil is the MOST calorie dense food. Just over ¼ cup of oil (of any kind) contains 500 calories!

On the other hand, fruits & vegetables are the LEAST calorie dense food groups. To be more specific, non-starchy vegetables are the lowest of the low when it comes to calorie density. If you were to try to eat 500 calories worth of whole, non-starchy vegetables, you would probably get full or sick of them (or your mouth would get tired of chewing) before you could even finish it all!

Check out this diagram that clearly demonstrates the concept of calorie density:

As you can see, 500 calories worth of fruits & vegetables completely fills the stomach, while 500 calories of oil barely covers the bottom. You could easily consume 2000+ calories worth of oil (gross) and still have room for more food!

Meats & cheeses are also relatively calorie dense, leaning closer to the oil side, while legumes & whole grains are less calorie dense and closer to the fruit & vegetable side. 

Why do we care about calorie density?

This is helpful for everyone to understand whether their goals are to lose, gain, or maintain their weight. 

If you’re trying to lose weight, or have difficulty maintaining your weight, you’ll want to include much more foods that are lower in calorie density and be extra mindful of the more calorie dense foods. By doing this, you’ll be able to eat until you’re full & satisfied without needing to worry about unwanted weight gain

On the other hand, if you’re trying to gain weight, you may want to include more calorie dense foods to ensure you’re able to eat enough calories before getting too full.**

**But still make sure to include plenty of lower calorie dense foods well, and here’s why:

NUTRIENT DENSITY

Nutrient density refers to the amount of micronutrients in a specific amount of food. Micronutrients are the nutrients that the body requires in relatively small amounts to maintain optimally functioning. They have wide-ranging functions and benefits through the body, and they include:

• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Phytochemicals
• Fiber

Nutrient dense foods will provide you with a TON of beneficial nutrients, ideally with a small amount of calories. HOWEVER, there are some high calorie foods that are also considered nutrient dense. 

Let’s go back to the example of oil: as I mentioned, it is the MOST calorie dense food. It also happens to be one of the LEAST nutrient dense. Some oils, like avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, and sesame oil, do provide some nutrients, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (AKA healthy) fats, as well as vitamins E & K. Other oils, like canola, corn, & vegetables, essentially have no nutritional value at all. All oils contain ZERO fiber.

On the OTHER HAND, fruits & vegetables, in addition to being the LOWEST calorie dense foods, also happen to be the MOST nutrient dense foods. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables means you’re getting the most nutritious bang for your calorie buck!

Nuts, seeds, & avocados are foods that are BOTH nutrient dense AND calorie dense. They contain important nutrients like omega fatty acids, fiber, vitamins E & B6, magnesium, selenium, and many more, so they are important to include in your diet. But keep in mind that they are still calorie dense, so if weight loss/maintenance is your goal, you’ll want to be careful about how much of these you consume on a daily basis. For perspective, 2 TBSP of nut butter, or ¼ cup of nuts equals about 200 calories. The nut butter is almost as calorie dense as oil, but it’s a hell of a lot more nutrient dense!

Here’s another good example of calorie density & nutrient density:

You can eat an entire bowl’s worth of fruit for the same amount of calories as just 14 jellybeans!

That bowl of fruit will definitely make you feel more full and satisfied than those few measly jellybeans. Plus with the fruit, you’re getting amazing nutrients like vitamin C and antioxidants.

Now, by all of this I definitely don’t mean to say that you should NEVER have those calorie dense foods or those low nutrient dense foods. 

Calorie dense foods are important to make sure we’re giving our body enough energy to function optimally, produce hormones, support immunity, fuel our brain, and get us through each day. You HAVE to eat calorie dense foods because you would literally not be able to eat enough vegetables alone to give you the amount of calories your body needs. 

Also, it’s okay to have low-nutrient dense foods every once in a while! Generally, low nutrient dense foods are also classified by me as “fun” foods, and I believe fun foods are a necessary part of life! While they may not nourish our body, they definitely nourish our soul 🙂 You don’t need to make sure EVERYTHING you eat is nutrient dense, as long as MOST of what you eat is. This ensures that you’re giving your body enough of the nutrients it needs to keep you healthy and feeling your best! 

But if you really love jellybeans, then eat jellybeans! Just maybe not everyday, or in large quantities at a time 😉

THE BOTTOM LINE

• Whatever your weight goals are, it isn’t necessary to count calories if that’s not your jam. (but you’re welcome to if you’d like!)
• Focus on eating an abundance of nutrient dense foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds) so you can feel amazing
• Be mindful of the amount of calorie dense foods you eat (oil, cheese, meat, nuts, seeds, avocado). Eat less of those if you’d like to lose weight, and more if you’d like to gain weight.

When it comes to the food I make and the recipes I post on here, I always try to add as many nutrient dense foods as I can. You may notice that a lot of my main dish recipes are PACKED with veggies. Since I love to eat in general, and also like to eat in high volume, adding lots of veggies helps bulk up a dish and add a lot of nutrients without adding a ton of calories. Even with desserts, I like to swap in more nutrient dense options when I can, like almond flour for regular flour, or coconut sugar for plain white sugar.

This concept, plus the concept of making sure each meal and snack is satiating and blood sugar friendly (a topic I’ll discuss in another post), has helped me achieve and maintain a healthy weight for years, without me needing to count a single calorie!

I hope that fully explains the concepts of calorie density and nutrient density. If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, feel free to ask me in the comments or click the button below!