What’s the Highest Calorie Food?

Many diet related internet searches today end in how to lose weight or low calorie diets. What if you need to gain or maintain your weight? That is where high calorie foods come in! But what’s the highest calorie food?

We will learn about the benefits of eating high calorie and why some people may need to, what a calorie is, how to safely increase your caloric intake, and of course, what the highest calorie food is!

High Calorie Food Benefits

The biggest benefit of eating high calorie food is that you do not have to eat a lot to reach your calorie goals! Many people suffer from unintended weight loss and struggle with weight gain for many different reasons.

Having a reduced appetite, illness, certain diseases, or people suffering malnutrition can benefit from eating high calorie foods. High calorie foods are high in nutrients and provide more energy than lower calorie foods.

Being underweight can come with many significant health problems. If your BMI (Body Mass Index) is below 18.5 as an adult, that is considered underweight. As you age, this number increases to about <23.0 because of the higher risk of mortality associated with a low BMI over the age of 65.

Health problems associated with being underweight include:

Osteoporosis- a bone disease that causes them to be weak and brittle
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Depression
Fatigue
Weakened Immune System
Sleep Problems

Thankfully, it is possible to gain weight safely and healthily! (2)

What is a Calorie?

A calorie is the measurement of energy that we get from our food! We get different amounts of calories from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in our food. Even alcohol has calories!

To find the amount of calories a food item has you can check the nutrition facts label! The calorie amount will be in bold letters towards the top of the label. For certain foods like fruits and vegetables, a good source of calorie information is the USDA website!

The USDA has information for different amounts of calories for foods that may not have nutrition labels and their information is accurate and reputable.

One gram of carbohydrates contains 4 kcals, for protein it is also 4 kcals, and 1 gram of fat contains the most amount of calories at 9 kcals. That is why something like olive oil, while still good for your health, is higher in calories than a slice of bread or chicken breast. (1)

How Many Calories Should I be Eating?

This is a common question and one that does not have an absolute answer. The amount of calories that you should be eating depends on many different factors! Some of these factors include; your activity level, height, weight, age, and even health conditions and certain diseases/illnesses.

Another thing that should be considered are your goals! A common thing that people want when they are looking at their calorie intake is to lose weight. Over here at high calorie recipes, we want to help those who are looking to gain weight! (2)

After considering those many factors, you or your dietitian can help determine how many calories you should be consuming daily.

How to Safely Increase your Caloric Intake

When looking to increase your caloric intake, you have to eat more calories than you’re expending daily. To make sure that you aren’t eating very large meals and insane amounts of food, choosing high calorie foods can help!

Increasing your caloric intake should be done gradually with small changes. This goes with any new habit! By swapping something like 2% milk to whole milk, you can increase your calories without having to consume more food.

Doing this will also help keep you from feeling uncomfortable or overfull. Some simple ways to start increasing your calories are by making swaps, like the milk example, eating more frequently throughout the day instead of only three meals, and adding more healthy fats to your diet since they are high in calories and low in volume.

Try not to drink water before your meals so you do not feel full from drinking large amounts of liquids. Stay hydrated, but try having your water after your meal or sips throughout the day!

Another easy way to increase your calories are with your drinks! Our website contains many great high calorie smoothies and other drinks to increase your intake without having to physically eat something! Check out this article with some great high calorie drinks to keep you hydrated!

Other small ways to increase your calories is by adding mayonnaise, a drizzle of olive oil, and nuts and seeds to your meals! They add extra flavor and crunch, along with extra calories!

As with any new changes to your diet, make sure to speak with your registered dietitian or healthcare provider beforehand!

What’s the Highest Calorie Food?

So, what’s the highest calorie food?? We have discussed the importance of gaining weight and how to do it safely. What are the best options for food to increase your intake?

The winner of the highest calorie food is….oils! Oils contain around 120 calories per tablespoon which is very high for such a small amount of oil. Each type of oil is about the same calorie wise, but the types of fats that are found in each of them are different.

Coconut oil and butter are higher in saturated fats than olive, canola, and avocado oils. Saturated fats are those that are solid at room temperature and unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. (2)

Eating high amounts of saturated fats can raise your LDL cholesterol which is not good for your health. Eating unsaturated fats can be healthy for your heart and wont raise your LDL cholesterol.

The American Heart Association recommends a diet with up to 5 or 6% of calories from saturated fats. This means that if you’re eating 2,200 calories per day, then no more than 132 calories should come from saturated fat. (3)

(3)

To use oils in your diet try cooking with them, drizzling them on roasted vegetables or on top of salads, or even try different flavored oils on top of different types of meals like your pizza!

More High Calorie Food Options

Oil might be the highest calorie food, but there are many other great options to add to your diet or swap some lower calorie options.

Nuts- any type of nut is high in fat and a great addition to salads or as a snack!
Whole milk, half and half, cream- use these in smoothies or your cereal to increase calories!
Peanut or nut butters-add to smoothies or have on your morning bagel with bananas and honey!
Honey and other sugars- have in moderation, but adding to smoothies, your coffee, or muffins and baked goods can help increase calories!
Cheese-add to salads, eggs, sandwiches/paninis, or pastas! (4)

Hopefully this information is helpful to you or someone you know! For more information about older adults and weight gain check out our sister website, The Geriatric Dietitian! Check out our page for great high calorie recipes.

It is possible to safely gain weight and live a healthy lifestyle with small changes, planning, and consistency in those new habits.

Sources

1. How Many Calories Do We need? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263028#calories-and-health

2. What’s the Highest Calorie Foods for Weight Gain? https://thegeriatricdietitian.com/whats-the-highest-calorie-food/

3. American Heart Association https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats

4. Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16555-snack-ideas-for-weight-gain