Think of it as “calories per bite.”

Foods that are high in fat and/or sugar tend to be packed tightly with calories. In such cases, looks can be deceiving — even relatively small amounts might contribute more calories to your daily intake than you’ve bargained for.

Other foods whose “bulk” is provided by things like fiber or water — like many plant foods — are low in calorie density.  You can eat more of these foods, because each bite packs less of a caloric wallop.

Sounds simple, no?  It’s really all you need to know to get started making meals that are lower in overall caloric density – meals that maximize flavor, variety and cancer protection while helping lose — or maintain — weight.

That’s why calorie density is such an important part of AICR’s message.  It’s the science behind our New American Plate approach to eating for a healthy weight  and healthy life, and it’s something we think about as we develop recipes in the AICR Test Kitchen.

Our brochure, More Food, Fewer Calories is full of ideas for making calorie density work for you.

And this section of the AICR website also contains lots of practical tips.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making an in-depth background paper on the subject of calorie density available to members of our Health Professionals and Educators eCommunity.  We provide these papers to help HPs stay informed on the latest science and help them “bottom line” the research into practical advice for patients and clients.