The word calorie is quite a common word.
‘Ice cream is loaded with calories’ or ‘watch your calories to lose weight’, ‘Count the calories’ and so on…
But, when people talk about the calories in food, what do they exactly mean? Let’s find out.
A calorie is a unit of measurement – a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it’s a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.
Are Calories Bad for You?
Calories aren’t bad for you. Your body needs calories for energy. But eating too many calories – and not burning enough of them off through activity – can lead to weight gain. Hence, the need to know which foods have how many calories or in other words, which food will provide you with how much energy to the body.
Most foods and drinks contain calories. Some foods, such as lettuce, contain few calories. (A cup of shredded lettuce has less than 10 calories.) Other foods, like peanuts, contain a lot of calories. (A half of a cup of peanuts has 427 calories.)
Simple measurements and their meanings-
1 kilo joule(kj) = 1000 joules
1 kilo calories = 1000 gram calories
1 calorie = 4.18 kj
1 g fat= 9 cal=38 kj
1 g carbohydrate= 4 cal= 17 KJ
1 g of protein = 4 Cal = 17 kJ
ü The above means that if you know how many grams of each nutrient (read fats, proteins or carbs) are in a food, you can easily calculate the total calories. You would multiply the number of grams by the number of calories in a gram of that food component. For example, if a serving of potato chips (about 20 chips) has 10 grams of fat then this implies that 10gms of fat x 9 calories per gram = 90 calories are from fat. Simple.
We should ideally aim for eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes the right number of calories – not too many, not too few
Calorie counter
The calorie counter or chart given on this page makes calorie counting simple for foods like vegetables, fruits, cereals, breads and milk products. You can use this chart to know the calories in your favorite vegetable, fruit or cereals and make your own low calorie recipe.
Calorie Counting Chart:
Know the calorie content of various food items.
|
Calories in Fruits per 100 Grams The values are in Calories. Multiply by 4.18 to get values in kJ. |
|
|
Apple |
56 |
|
Avaacaado Pear |
190 |
|
Banana |
95 |
|
Chickoo |
94 |
|
Cherries |
70 |
|
Dates |
281 |
|
Grapes Black |
45 |
|
Guava |
66 |
|
Kiwi Fruit |
45 |
|
Guava |
49 |
|
Lychies |
61 |
|
Mangoes |
70 |
|
Orange |
53 |
|
Orange juice 100ml |
47 |
|
Papaya |
32 |
|
Peach |
50 |
|
Pears |
51 |
|
Pineapple |
46 |
|
Plums |
56 |
|
Strawberries |
77 |
|
Watermelon |
26 |
|
Pomegranate |
77 |
|
Watermelon |
16 |
|
Calories in Vegetables per 100 Grams |
|
|
Broccoli |
25 |
|
Brinjal |
24 |
|
Cabbage |
45 |
|
Carrot |
48 |
|
Cauliflower |
30 |
|
Fenugreek (Methi) |
49 |
|
French beans |
26 |
|
Lettuce |
21 |
|
Mushroom |
18 |
|
Onion |
50 |
|
Peas |
93 |
|
Potato |
97 |
|
Spinach 100g |
26 |
|
Tomato |
21 |
|
Tomato juice 100ml |
22 |
|
Calories in Cereals per 100 Grams |
|
|
Bajra |
360 |
|
Maize flour |
355 |
|
Rice |
325 |
|
Wheat flour |
341 |
|
Calories in Breads per piece |
|
|
1 medium chappati |
119 |
|
1 slice white bread |
60 |
|
1 paratha (no filling) |
280 |
|
Calories in Milk & Milk Products per cup |
|
|
Butter 100gms. |
750 |
|
Buttermilk |
19 |
|
Cheese |
315 |
|
Cream 100gms. |
210 |
|
Ghee 100gms |
910 |
|
Milk Buffalo |
115 |
|
Milk Cow |
100 |
|
Milk Skimmed |
45 |
|
Calories in Other Items |
|
|
Sugar 1 tbsp |
48 |
|
Honey 1 tbsp |
90 |
|
Coconut water 100 ml |
25 |
|
Coffee |
40 |
|
Tea |
30 |
To know calories in your favorite food preparations, snacks and recipe, feel free to post your request in the comment section.
