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High-Calorie Food Additions

These instructions are for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) patients that need to increase calories in their food.

Instructions for adding calories to food:

Avocado
75 calories for 1/4 avocado

  • Use in dips, like guacamole, with tortilla chips

  • Spread on toast or crackers

Butter and margarine
45 calories per teaspoon

  • Add to hot cereal, breads, muffins, rice, pasta or potatoes

  • Add to meat or vegetables when cooking

Cheese
100 calories per ounce or slice

  • Add to vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta or soup

  • Top bread or crackers

  • Mix into eggs or casseroles

Cream cheese
50 calories per tablespoon

  • Spread on bread, crackers or muffins

  • Use as a dip for vegetables or fruit

Coconut cream
50 calories per tablespoon

  • Add to shakes or smoothies

  • Add to rice for more flavor

Dry pudding mix
40 calories per tablespoon

  • Add to shakes or smoothies

  • Add to mixes when making cake, muffins or breads

Granola
300 calories per ½ cup

  • Add to yogurt, ice cream or pudding

  • Mix with milk and eat as cereal

Greek yogurt
150 calories per 5-6 ounces

  • Use in place of regular yogurt

  • Add to shakes or smoothies

  • Offer with fruit as a snack

Heavy cream
50 calories per tablespoon

  • Use in milkshakes or pudding

  • Substitute for 1/3 of the milk in recipes for casseroles, macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes

Hummus
25 calories per tablespoon

  • Use as a dip for vegetables, crackers or pretzels

  • Use as a spread for a sandwich

Nut butters
95 calories per tablespoon

  • Includes peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, soy nut butter or hemp seed butter

  • Add to shakes or hot cereal

  • Spread on muffins, crackers, waffles or pancakes

Oils
125 calories per tablespoon

  • Includes olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil or coconut oil

  • Mix oil into baby food or pureed table foods

  • Drizzle oil onto cooked vegetables, pasta or chicken

Powdered milk
25 calories per tablespoon

  • Add to milkshakes, mashed potatoes, hot cereal, ground meat or macaroni and cheese

Full fat sour cream
30 calories per tablespoon

  • Add to potatoes, casseroles, sauces, or soups

  • Use as a dip for vegetables, crackers, pretzels or tortilla chips

Salad dressing and mayonnaise
60-100 calories per tablespoon

  • Use for dipping raw vegetables, pretzels, chicken or other meats

  • Use as a spread on sandwiches

Wheat germ
25 calories per tablespoon

  • Add to cereal, ice cream, or yogurt

  • Mix into pancakes, waffles, hot cereal, quick bread or muffin mix

Reviewed on October 1, 2021, by Carly Kliment, RD

© Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 2024. Not to be copied or distributed without permission. All rights reserved. Patient family education materials provide educational information to help individuals and families. You should not rely on this information as professional medical advice or to replace any relationship with your healthcare provider.

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