Health foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and low-fat dairy and protein items pack high nutrition into the fewest calories. This so-called nutrient density helps you maintain your weight and your vitality. Eating too much of anything---even healthy foods---however, can increase your calorie intake beyond your ability to expend that energy through exercise. Avoid weight gain by learning the calorie counts of suggested servings of common health foods.
Grains
The USDA considers fiber-rich whole grains more nutritious than refined grains such as white flour and white rice, which have some of their nutrient content removed in processing. This makes them more nutrient-dense within the same number of calories. One-cup servings of whole-wheat bulgur, oatmeal, whole-wheat noodles and pearled barley have between 150 and 200 calories apiece. Brown rice tops the grain list at 215 calories per cup, while a suggested serving of ready-to-eat wheat bran cereal may have as little as 78 calories.
Vegetables
Nutrient-dense vegetables are your greatest sources of a wide range of vitamins and minerals. One cup of cooked carrots and broccoli provides this nutrition in 55 calories, while cooked leafy greens such as spinach and collards have even greater concentrations of nutrients in under 50 calories. Higher-calorie vegetable portions include 1 cup of beets and 1 ear of corn, at 75 calories. You can keep calorie counts low by eating ½-cup portions and by cooking without added fat and sugar.
Fruits
Calorie totals in fruits, which are major contributors of dietary vitamin C, vary by composition and preparation method. Choose fresh, dried, frozen, juiced or canned unsweetened or artificially sweetened fruits for the greatest nutrient density. Eat small ¼-cup quantities of mineral-rich dates or raisins to average 117 calories per serving. Avocados, with their high levels of healthy fats, are also high-calorie foods, so stick with 1-oz. portions at about 40 calories each. Fruits with moderate counts of about 50 to 75 calories per 1 cup include strawberries, apples, cantaloupes and kiwis. Bananas, pears, peaches and pineapples all have greater calorie totals.
Dairy and Protein Foods
Yogurt varieties, known for their calcium and beneficial bacterial cultures, have variable calories based on fat content. The American Heart Association recommends plain 1-percent yogurt at 143 calories, and plain fat-free yogurt at 127 calories per 8 oz. Fish is also considered a heart-healthy food for its lower saturated-fat content than meat protein sources. Oily fish such as salmon, which provides unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, has 184 calories, while less oily cod and orange roughy have under 100 calories--all per 3-oz. serving.
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