You can only eat appropriately for your health, medical conditions and fitness goals if you're knowledgeable about calorie counts. Many of the most calorie-dense whole foods can actually be an important part of a healthy, fitness-based lifestyle, because they often contain healthy fats and key nutrients. On the unhealthy end of the calorie spectrum, meanwhile, many of the foods are fried, processed and loaded with the least healthy types of fat.
Pie Crust
The item topping the calorie count list in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database for Standard Reference is baked graham cracker pie crust. One full crust, weighing 239 grams, packs 1,181 calories. This total refers to the entire prepared recipe, which typically includes white sugar and butter. The USDA calculates that a standard pie crust, usually made with flour, butter, sugar, salt and water, has 949 calories per 180 grams.
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is ordinary cow's milk that has had much of its water removed and sugar added. It is usually sold in sealed cans, and the high sugar content gives it a very long shelf life. The USDA reports that one cup of sweetened condensed milk contains 982 calories.
Candy
Chocolate and white-chocolate candies also rank high in the USDA's calorie count; one cup of white-chocolate candies with a confectioner's coating packs 916 calories, while one cup of semisweet chocolate candies has 805.
Barley
The most calorie-dense whole food on the USDA's ranking, one cup of the cereal-grain barley contains 704 calories. Barley is commonly used as livestock feed, in beer brewing and various health-food products.
White Rice
One cup of parboiled, enriched white rice contains 686 calories, according to the USDA; raw white rice comes in at a slightly lower 675.
Couscous
One cup of dry couscous, a wheat-based side dish, contains 650 calories, according to the USDA.
Fast Food
The USDA includes a wide variety of calorie count estimates for popular fast food items in its database. Bacon cheeseburgers with condiments are listed at 608 calories; a 6-inch tuna-salad sub is listed at 584 calories; a large order of French fries weighs in at 578 calories. Other notable fast-food calorie counts include one taco at 568, a fish sandwich with tartar sauce and cheese at 523, pancakes with butter and syrup at 520, a plain chicken fillet sandwich at 515 and French toast sticks at 513.
References
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Alphabetical Listing
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Nutrient Content
- "The Visual Food Encyclopedia: The Definitive Practical Guide to Food and Cooking"; François Fortin, Serge D'Amico; 1996
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