Foods with high calorie counts can be used for good or ill in a healthy diet. If you need to gain weight due to a health condition, then nutrient-rich fish, nuts and seeds may help. If you want to maintain or control your weight, caloric fast foods can upset that balance. The FDA recommends an average of 2,000 calories per day, adjusted to your body type and physical activity level. As you evaluate calorie contents when making food choices, consider whether their additional nutrient ratios meet your dietary goals.
Raisins
There are 434 calories in 1 cup of raisins, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. Like all types of dried fruit, raisins are high in vitamins and minerals, but also in sugar and calories. If you have diabetes or already eat plenty of sugar, preserve your healthy diet by limiting serving sizes of raisins.
Pecan Pie
The large calorie counts of pie crusts render a single piece of pie a high-calorie food. Add caloric nuts or streusel topping and you can quickly veer away from a healthy diet.
With as much as 503 calories in one piece, pecan pie eats up one quarter of the FDA's general recommended daily calorie allowance. Fast food fried pies, whose fruit ingredients have fewer calories by weight than pecans, derive much of their 404 calories from fat.
Vanilla Milkshakes
Whether you want to splurge or need to gain weight, milkshakes provide large calorie counts with high fat ratios. The USDA tallies 16-oz fast food vanilla milkshakes at 493 calories. Fiber-enriched commercial milkshakes intended for weight gain have lower saturated fat contents that better suit a healthy diet.
Fast Food Cheeseburger
High-calorie cheeseburgers contain beneficial protein, calcium and other nutrients, but are also high in fat, cholesterol and salt. The American Heart Association notes that a single quarter-pound beef patty exceeds the USDA 3-oz. suggested serving of meat. The 550-calorie total for a single large-patty cheeseburger rises when you choose more bacon, guacamole or other caloric add-ons.
Chocolate Chips
Chocolate chips offer a burst of energy during physical exertion, as evidenced by the candies' calorie counts. One cup of semisweet chocolate chips delivers 806 calories, with plenty of fat and sugar content, according to the USDA.
That makes them valuable components of trail mix but overkill in an already high-fat, high-sugar dessert, such as ice cream. Other foods in this category include commercial candy bars with both chocolate and raisins or chocolate and peanuts.
Member Comments