Decreasing Consumption of Energy-Dense Foods
The human body uses energy every day. A calorie is a unit of energy. To maintain weight, a person must take in as many calories as he or she uses.
Energy density is the amount of energy, or calories, in a particular weight of food.
Research has shown that people eat a fairly consistent weight of food every day. This is true whether the food is high or low in energy (calories). Choosing low-energy-dense foods (foods low in calories but high in weight) can help people feel full without consuming a lot of calories. Generally, a low-energy-dense diet will also be low in fat, since fat contains more than twice as many calories per gram as do protein and carbohydrates. Reducing intake of trans fats has the added benefit of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Low-energy-dense diets also tend to be high in water and fiber. Diets rich in fiber may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and promote bowel health.
The amount of energy, or calories, that a person should consume each day to gain, lose or maintain weight varies according to age, sex, and physical activity level. On-line guidance for individuals can be found at http://www.mypyramid.gov/. When energy consumed exceeds energy expended, the result is weight gain in the form of fat. There is no baseline data on the number of calories currently consumed by Montanans. According to the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, however, approximately two-thirds of the state’s adult residents have a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. For most, this means that they have taken in more calories than they have used and are storing the extra energy as fat.
For more information about evidence that reducing the consumption of high-energy-dense foods can help prevent and reduce obesity,and for policy and environmental change strategies to reduce consumption of high-energy-dense foods see The CDC Guide to Strategies to Decrease the Consumption of High-Energy-Dense Foods. For practical tips on using a low-energy-dense diet to manage weight and increase health at the individual level, see Eat More, Weight Less? at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/Energy_Density.pdf