How to Determine Calories in Food

Through your understanding of the amounts of calories in foods, you may easily determine the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. Comparing food's calorie-to-fat ratios may also aid in weight loss, weight gain or the maintenance of your weight. Traditionally, calorie amounts are written on the backs of food packaging. However, the number of calories in certain foods will soon become even more accessible. In October 2009, the FDA announced plans to require that companies place labels on the fronts of all food packaging. (Ref. 1.)

Things You'll Need

• Foods containing nutrition labels
• Small food scale
• Calculator

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Instructions

How to determine calories in food

• 1

  Check the nutrition labels on the backs of food packages. Most companies are required to place these labels on their products. (Ref. 1.) The label will state the amount of calories per serving. If you eat more than one serving of the food, multiply the number of servings you eat by the number of calories in each serving.

• 2

  If you are counting calories for weight loss, determine how many calories you consume for each meal. Keep a journal of your calorie intake. This way, you can easily notice reasons for weight gain or weight loss, judging by the number of calories you have consumed each day.

• 3

  Visit web sites such as calorieking.com or fitday.com, which contain extensive lists of foods and their calories. Learn the calories of certain foods you eat that do not have nutritional labels.

• 4

  Buy a small food scale to weigh foods that are not sold with nutrition labels. Examples of these include fish, chicken, and some deli meats.

• 5

  Make the most of your new-found calorie-counting skills. Learning how to count calories is an excellent way to start living in a more healthy manner.