If you need to find foods that will pack in a lot of calories without a lot of volume, then you need high calorie density foods. Whether you have a child who just won't sit still long enough to consume sufficient calories, or a sick relative who needs to bulk up without a lot of chewing, these foods will fit the bill. In addition to the obvious and least nutritious choices like bakery sweets and candies, there are high calorie density foods among the fattier meats, creams and cheeses, most nuts and seeds, and the heavier breads, cereals and pastas. The foods in this list were chosen because they pack a caloric punch. Specifically, each one has at least 250 calories in a serving size of no more than 4 ounces.
Fatty Meats
Meats, poultry and fish come in a wide variety of calorie densities. There are some very low-calorie and low-fat options among these animal-based foods. However, if you are looking to stock up on calories without lugging around a five-gallon cooler, there are many high-calorie selections here as well. Choose from most cuts of beef, lamb and pork; the dark meat and skin of chicken or turkey; or any of the processed meats, such as pepperoni, salami, sausage, bologna, bratwurst, liverwurst or chorizo.
Creams and Cheeses
Since creams and cheeses are, by definition, made up largely of dairy fat, it should be self-evident that they are high calorie density foods. Among cream products, pressurized canned whipped cream, fluid whipping cream--light or heavy, and even powdered cream substitutes--all have more than 250 calories in a four ounce serving.
Only reduced-fat or imitation varieties of these products have too few calories to be considered a high calorie density food. Likewise, almost all cheeses meet the criteria, except those specifically manufactured to be low-fat. The one notable exception here is cottage cheese, which, even in its full-fat incarnation, has only 111 calories in a four-ounce serving.
Nuts and Seeds
Because nuts, seeds and their butters have very high oil content, they are an obvious choice for calorie-dense foods. They are also an especially convenient choice, since they can stay fresh for longer periods of time without refrigeration. Among nuts and nut butters that meet the high calorie density criteria, there are almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts and coconut meat. From the seed family, include these seeds and butters: pumpkin, squash, safflower, sesame, sunflower and watermelon.
Cereals, Breads and Pastas
Many bread and cereal type products have a modest amount of calories, because they generally do not have a high fat content and tend to be baked with a lot of air inside. But there are some which are fattier or denser, and thus have a lot of calories per ounce. The foods to look for in these categories are: bagels, biscuits, french or sourdough bread; cheese, wheat and oyster crackers; saltines, croissants, brown-and-serve dinner rolls, granola, muesli, and shaped pastas, like spirals, shells, or elbows.
Baked Sweets and Candies
Sweets have a lot of calories in a small serving size. While fat content can play a role here, it is usually the concentrated starches and sugars which bump up the calorie count. You probably don't need a list, but just for the sake of completeness, some of the highest density calorie foods you can eat include frosted cake, cheesecake, coffeecake, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, rolls, toaster pastries, hard candies and jelly beans.
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