Energy density

Energy density is the amount of energy a food supplies per unit of weight, usually expressed in kilocalories per 100 grams or per kilogram. It is the figure that decides portion size: the higher the energy density, the less food you serve to deliver the same calories. This is why a small scoop of a rich, fat-heavy kibble can carry as much energy as a much larger bowl of a wet or high-fibre diet. The single biggest driver of energy density is fat, which packs roughly twice the calories per gram of protein or carbohydrate, so a high-fat recipe is inherently energy-dense. Moisture works the other way: wet foods are diluted by water and therefore have a far lower energy density per gram than dry food, which is why feeding tables look so different between the two formats. Energy density connects directly to the [maintenance energy requirement](/glossary/maintenance-energy-requirement): you divide the animal's daily energy need by the food's density to get the daily amount. It also interacts with [digestibility](/glossary/digestibility), since only digestible energy counts. A practical consequence: low-energy-density, high-[fibre](/glossary/fibre) foods are useful for weight management because they let an animal eat a satisfying volume for fewer calories. See the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary) for related feeding terms.

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