Nutrition & Food
Intermediate

Caloric (Energy) Density

Calories per gram of a food — a key idea in filling, lower-calorie eating.

Formula

D=EmD = \frac{E}{m}

Variables

EEnergy (kcal)
mMass (g)

Example

150 kcal in 100 g ⇒ 1.5 kcal/g

Did You Know?

Cucumber is about 0.15 kcal/g while olive oil is ~9 kcal/g — a 60-fold difference in energy density.

energy densitycaloriesdiet