Category 1: Very low energy dense foods, ED < .6. Includes most fruit and vegetables, skim milk and broth-based soups. Adding fruit or vegetables to meals increases your fullness without adding a lot of calories.

Category 2: Low energy dense foods, ED .6 to 1.5. Includes cooked grains, cold breakfast cereal with skim milk, low-fat meats, legumes and salads. Most of the foods we eat should come from this category, especially when combined with fruit and veggies from category 1.

Category 3: Medium energy dense foods, ED 1.5 to 4.0. Includes meats, cheeses, salad dressings, and snack foods. It's easy to overeat these, so portion control is a must. But if you combine small amounts of category 3 foods with foods from categories 1 and 2, you'll have a full plate of food ‑- and you won't leave the table hungry.

Category 4: High energy dense foods, ED 4.0 to 9.0. Includes crackers, chips, candy, cookies, nuts and butter. These are foods we often overeat.