You might think reading a whole article dedicated to high calorie foods is a bit...dated. Because, along with spiral perms, Patrick Swayze obsessions and jazzercize, calorie counting to discern the difference between low calorie foods and high calorie foods was all the rage back in the eighties.

But, since then, we’ve become snobbish about totting up numbers of high calorie foods, deciding it’s too simplistic, it overlooks the quality of food. More than that, spending too much time and energy thinking about high calorie foods and has been linked to encouraging obsessive tendencies and disordered eating.

While some people may choose to swerve this metic for myriad reasons, others may have reason for wanting to understand how many calories, roughly, are in certain calorie-dense foods. Perhaps because you’re training for a sporting event which requires more fuel while you train and compete, and want to make sure you get enough energy in.

Or, maybe it's because you want to be mindful about which high calorie foods are best enjoyed in a slightly smaller portion. (As ever, all safe goals are valid.) Plus, with this awareness you'll have a good idea of what constitutes a portion of your chosen high calorie healthy foods, so you don't over-consume or skimp.

As Licensed Specialist Registered Dietitian Rachel Clarkson puts it: 'Awareness of calories isn’t a bad thing, but leaning too hard on them for weight management isn’t the best approach'.

So, let’s break that down. 'People who calorie count eat whatever they want as long as it fits within their calorie limit,' says Rachel (who you can follow on IG @thednadietician). 'But avoiding high calorie foods, wholesale, can leave you avoiding nutrient-dense foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado and egg yolks.'

It’s a key point and it’s why awareness of high calorie foods - AKA calorie awareness - trumps totting up precise numbers. Calorie awareness leaves you able to enjoy everything, just in the right quantities for you.

Unlike calorie counting, which can leave you skipping any high calorie foods or calorie dense foods, inadvertently sidelining high calorie healthy foods that undeniably have an important role in a balanced, varied, health-supporting diet.

Then there’s the fact that counting calories can make you a slave to calorie tracking apps, which Rachel points out often aren’t reliable with their figures. Frankly, it’s also achingly dull.

When you understand that not all calories are made equal, knowing which healthy and nutritious foods are also high calorie foods can help you in your quest to maintain a healthy weight while consuming a well-rounded diet.

There’s no shame in knowing you need to either gain or lose weight, and wanting to look again at your consumption of high calorie healthy foods.

You may want to add lbs to get pregnant, say, or to pack in enough calories to compete in endurance sports, or you may recognise your BMI is teetering on the high side and you are resolved to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way - partly by addressing your consumption of high calorie foods.

'Absolutely, knowing which healthy and nutritious foods are high calorie can be very helpful,' says Rachel. But all the noise around weight loss and nutrition can leave us scratching our heads.

'I have many women coming to me confused and frustrated that they haven’t lost weight despite "eating healthy foods",' says Rachel, of her in-clinic experiences.

'Then, during an assessment of their current intake, I see them eating avocado on toast, nut butter in their shakes and snacking on nuts and seeds,' says Rachel - undoubtedly, high calorie foods.

That's not to say these high calorie foods are unhealthy foods, obviously. 'These are healthy foods but they are calorie-dense and so knowledge of serving sizes are essential here,' says Rachel.

Take the avocado. 'If you're looking to lose weight then a quarter to a third of an avocado is the ideal serving size for weight loss,' she shares.

Knowledge is power, so once you know which high calorie healthy foods pack a calorific punch, you’ll no longer be scanning every food label, searching up lists of which high calorie foods are healthy online or asking: what is the most calorific food? Or - crucially - needlessly avoiding calorie-dense foods packed with nutritional value.

Balance is our best friend here, and when you know (but don’t obsess over) the calorie content of everyday foods, you can choose to eat the right amounts, and genuinely enjoy them.

'Reframe the concept of calorie counting into serving sizes that will empower you to eat with confidence,' says Rachel. 'Even when your phone runs out of battery and you can’t access a calorie counting app.'

Here’s a rundown of high calorie healthy foods. Here's to eating in a way that's supportive of your healthy weight goals and - crucially - you enjoy.