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What you get for the calories (they still count) | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Thursday, April 23, 2009

SHAPE UP
 What you get for the calories (they still count)

By Charles Stuart Platkin

Yes, it all matters: getting the right fats, eating the right carbs and the right lean protein. However, 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. Other health professionals, including physicians and nurses, are not much better; in one study, 70 percent of the participants over- or underestimated patients' calorie needs by as much as 13 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 10 CALORIES

Minutes to walk it off* = 2.5

  • One Jell-O Sugar Free Snack Cup (3.25 ounces)

  • Two strawberries

  • 2 1/2 pieces Post Honey Nut Shredded Wheat

  • One Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers Original

  • Three watermelon balls (11 calories)

    WHAT YOU GET FOR ABOUT 25 CALORIES

    Minutes to walk it off* = 6.5

  • One (10-ounce) cucumber

  • Five Cheez-It Snack Crackers (22 calories)

  • 1 tablespoon pork fried rice

  • 1 cup cauliflower

     WHAT YOU GET FOR ABOUT 50 CALORIES

    Minutes to walk it off* = 13

  • 3 tablespoons ketchup

  • 2 tablespoons duck sauce

  • 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)

  • 1/2 cup steamed brown rice (109 calories)

    WHAT YOU GET FOR ABOUT 150 CALORIES

    Minutes to walk it off* = 39

  • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

  • 2 tablespoons blue cheese salad dressing

  • Two slices bacon

  • 4 ounces grilled Pacific halibut

    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 (16-ounce) cup Starbucks Iced Caffè Mocha with no whipped cream and 2 percent milk

    WHAT YOU GET FOR ABOUT 250 CALORIES

    Minutes to walk it off* = 65

  • One (2.5-ounce) chocolate cupcake

  • Two chocolate-covered pretzels (230 calories)

  • 1 cup Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder (210 calories)

  • 4 tablespoons macaroni salad (235 calories)

    WHAT YOU GET FOR ABOUT 300 CALORIES

     

    Minutes to walk it off* = 77.3

  • 5 ounces coleslaw (312 calories)

  • 4 ounces broccoli and cheddar quiche

     *All exercise equivalents are based on a 155-pound person.

    Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.

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