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Diet Detective - Total caloric intake can't be ignored
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Published: April 29, 2009
Updated: 04/28/2009 08:05 pm
Yes, it all matters: getting the right fats, eating the right carbs and the right lean protein. But calories are still important as a quick way of determining whether you're eating too much. After all, the total number of calories you take in is made up of a combination of fats, carbs and protein.
The problem? Most people underreport what they eat. In fact, we can underreport the amount of food we eat in a day by as much as 45 percent. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, about 18 percent of men and 28 percent of women are underreporters.
And research reported in the Journal of Nutrition showed that even registered dietitians can underestimate their caloric consumption by 16 percent.
The bottom line is that you're probably eating more than you think. Take a look at the following and see if you're surprised by any how many calories you get for what you're eating:
What you get for about 50 calories
Minutes to walk it off: 13.
□ 3 tablespoons ketchup.
□ 2 tablespoons duck sauce.
□ 1 tablespoon grape jelly.
□ One Fig Newton cookie (55 calories).
□ One Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie (53 calories).
□ One large bite of pan crust pizza with the works.
What you get for about 100 calories
Minutes to walk it off: 26.
□ 1 tablespoon mayonnaise.
□ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
□ 1 ounce brie cheese.
□ One (4-ounce) ear yellow corn.
□ One large eggplant (peeled).
□ 1 cup dried cranberries (90 calories).
□ One pan-fried Peking dumpling (93 calories).
□ ½ cup steamed brown rice (109 calories).
What you get for about 200 calories
Minutes to walk it off: 51.5.
□ One (2.5-ounce) pork frankfurter without a bun (204 calories).
□ Three large hard-boiled eggs.
□ One (8-ounce) glass pina colada.
□ One (16-ounce) cup Starbucks Iced Caffè Mocha with no whipped cream and 2 percent milk.
What you get for about 300 calories
Minutes to walk it off: 77.3.
□ 7 ounces avocado (322 calories).
□ 5 ounces coleslaw (312 calories).
□ ½ Panera Bread Chicken Salad on Whole Grain (320 calories).
□ 4 ounces broccoli and cheddar quiche.
(All exercise equivalents are based on a 155-pound person.)
OK. So now you know the cost of a few foods. See how many of these portion equivalents you get right.
1. One almond has:
a. 24 calories
b. 2 calories
c. 7 calories
d. 15 calories
2. One Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel has :
a. 350 calories
b. 450 calories
c. 280 calories
d. 160 calories
3. 1 cup prune juice has
a. 120 calories
b. 182 calories
c. 256 calories
d. 75 calories
4. Which has the most calories (about 610)?
a. McDonald's Bacon Ranch Salad with crispy chicken, croutons and ranch dressing
b. McDonald's Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (16 ounces)
c. McDonald's Big Mac d. Quarter Pounder with Cheese
5. 1 ounce soft goat cheese has
a. 100 calories
b. 75 calories
c. 155 calories
d. 220 calories
6. Which has the most calories?
a. Burger King's Double Whopper
b. Chuck E. Cheese's Italian Sub with Fries
c. 2 KFC Extra Crispy Chicken Breasts with Mashed Potatoes and gravy
d. Denny's All American Slam (three eggs with Cheddar, bacon, sausage and hash browns)
Answer key: 1-c, 2-b, 3-b, 4-a, 5-b, 6-c (920 calories, 970 calories, 1,020 calories, 820 calories)
■ Charles Stuart Platkin is the founder of DietDetective.com.
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