How to Find the Caloric Content of Food

Calories are measurements of how much energy you get from a serving of food. Many Americans consume more calories than they need without exercising, which leads to obesity or being overweight. The calorie section of a label can help you manage your weight. By checking the label for the calorie content of the food you can find out whether you are going to gain, lose, or maintain your weight. The number of servings you consume will determine the amount of calories you eat.

Instructions

• 1

  Check the front of the packaging for the nutritional guidelines of the food. All packaged foods need to display salt, calorie, fat and other nutrition content on the packaging.

• 2

  Check the back or sides of the packaging for the nutrition label. The packaging displays nutrient content broken down into different sections: serving size, calories per serving size, fats, salt, sugar, vitamins and minerals. Most labels base the information on guideline daily amounts.

• 3

  Calculate the amount of calories you will consume if you eat the whole package of food. For example, if one cup of soup contains 150 calories, one cup being one serving size, a can of tomato soup which contains 3 cups of soup will contain 450 calories. Your calorie intake will depend on the portion and serving size, so if you eat the whole can of soup, you will consume 450 calories.

• 4

  Use an online calorie calculator if you have bought unpackaged food. The United States Department of Agriculture provides an online nutrition database for all food groups.