Calories seem to be so arbitrary, and not very intuitive. I always find it interesting to see what kinds of foods (and how much) you can get for a particular number of calories. Here is my latest version of "What You Get for the Calories."
What you get for about 10 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 2
- 4 Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Cheese Goldfish Crackers
- 1 Domino sugar packet (15 calories)
- 3 red seedless grapes (9 calories)
- 3 baby carrots (10.5 calories)
- 1 broccoli spear (5 inches long, 11 calories)
What you get for about 25 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 5.5
- 1 Hershey's Kisses Hugs candy (Valentine's Day, 23 calories)
- 1 heart-shaped lollipop (30 calories)
- 1 small fig (30 calories)
- 1 medium (3-ounce) beefsteak tomato
What you get for about 50 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 11
- 1 Mallomars marshmallow & chocolate cookie (60 calories)
- 1 heart-shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (42 calories)
- 1 tablespoon (21 grams) honey (60 calories)
- 1 chocolate-covered cherry (55 calories)
- 14 ounces Zico Natural Coconut Water (60 calories)
- ½ cup Kellogg's Froot Loops Cereal (60 calories without milk)
What you get for about 75 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 16
- 1 Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Almond Cluster (76.5 calories)
- 2 raw oysters (80 calories)
- 1 medium peach (68 calories)
What you get for about 100 calories
Minutes to walk it off*= 21.5
- 3/4 cup Kellogg's Special K Cereal, Chocolatey Delight (120 calories)
- 2 dark chocolate-dipped strawberries (110 calories)
- 1 cup Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix with Mini Marshmallows (110 calories)
- ½ cup Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
- 20 ounces Vitamin Water Multi-V Lemonade (120 calories)
- 1 medium banana (110 calories)
- 1 ounce peppered brie cheese
- ½ cup steamed brown rice (109 calories)
What you get for about 150 calories
Minutes to walk it off*=32.5
- 1 2-ounce meatball
- 1 Nestle Crunch Valentine Heart (140 calories)
- ½ cup (1 pancake or waffle) Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix
- 2 4-ounce glasses of Champagne ( 170 calories)
What you get for about 200 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 43
- 1 Starbucks Marshmallow Dream Bar (210 calories)
- ½ cup Pinkberry chocolate frozen yogurt with yogurt chips and coconut
- 1 10-ounce Dunkin’ Donuts Caramel Mocha Latte with whole milk (220 calories)
- 4 Bagel Bites Cheese & Pepperoni Bagel Pizzas (190 calories)
What you get for about 250 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 54
- 1 12-ounce Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate with non-fat milk and no whipped cream
- 1 2-ounce slice of cheesecake
- McDonald's Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and Newman's Own® Low Fat Family Recipe Italian Dressing (240 calories)
What you get for about 300 calories
Minutes to walk it off* = 65
- Applebee's 9-ounce House Sirloin Steak with no sides (310 calories)
- McDonald's cheeseburger
- Subway's 6-inch roast beef sandwich (320 calories)
- Dunkin’ Donuts jelly-filled doughnut (290 calories)
*All exercise equivalents are based on a 175-pound person walking at a leisurely pace
OK. So now you know the calorie costs for a few foods. See how many of these other portion equivalents you get right.
How many calories are in:
- Dairy Queen small vanilla cone
- 150 calories
- 325 calories
- 230 calories
- 90 calories
- 1 Tostitos Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chip
- 5 calories
- 20 calories
- 60 calories
- 16 calories
- 1 7-ounce avocado
- 220 calories
- 322 calories
- 256 calories
- 75 calories
- ½ order of Outback Baby Back Ribs & Aussie Fries
- 2,200 calories
- 1,303 calories
- 726 calories
- 2,740 calories
- 2 pieces of Stouffer's Deluxe French Bread Pizza
- 430 calories
- 860 calories
- 200 calories
- 375 calories
- 2 tablespoons of Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing
- 25 calories
- 10 calories
- 170 calories
- 500 calories
- 1 large apple (3 1/4 inch diameter)
- 25 calories b
- 67 calories
- 5 calories
- 116 calories
- 2 tablespoons of hummus
- 50 calories
- 15 calories
- 215 calories
- 45 calories
- Which has the most calories (about 290)?
- Dairy Queen all-beef hot dog
- 5 Entenmann's Original Chocolate Chip Cookies
- McDonald’s Big Mac
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese
- Which has the most calories?
- 8 Chili's Classic Nachos
- Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Chili's Avocado Burger on wheat bun with fries
- Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls with Avocado Ranch Dressing
Answer key: 1-c, 2-b, 3-b, 4-b, 5-b, 6-c,7-d, 8-a, 9-a, 10-c
One of the best ways to develop your "calorie instinct" is to know your portions:
1 cup of cereal = a fist
1/2 cup of cooked rice, pasta, or potato = 1/2 baseball
1 baked potato = a fist
1 medium fruit = a baseball
1/2 cup of fresh fruit = 1/2 baseball
1 1/2 ounces of low-fat or fat-free cheese = 4 stacked dice
1/2 cup of ice cream = 1/2 baseball
2 tablespoons of peanut butter = a ping-pong ball
Source: The Weight-control Information Network (WIN), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health