The difference between a 100 calories of strawberries vs a 100 calories worth of energy balls may surprise you
From MyFitnessPal to the NHS’ Calorie Checker , technology makes it easier than ever to keep a tally of the number of calories we consume on a daily basis. However, it’s hard to gauge from a screen how that number will look served up on a plate.
Calorie-counting, while not for everyone, is central to the success of eating plans such as the 5:2 diet and also forms the basis of the government’s new initiative to help curb obesity which advocates a 400-600-600 spread across breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, decoding the kcals, grams and serving sizes that pop up on a screen or smartphone can sometimes get lost in translation, a point proven by a recent study from The Office of National Statistics that revealed that we’re eating 50 per cent more calories than we think we are .
It can be hard to picture, especially when it comes to snacks, so we took some 100 calorie snaps of seven everyday foods that often make their way onto our snack trolley (every office has one right?) and fridge to provide a useful visual guide.
Kallo Organic Unsalted Rice Cakes
100 calories = 3 and a half rice cakes
Itsu Sea Salt Seaweed Thins
100 calories = just over four 5g packets
Strawberries
100 calories = just over 33
Almonds
100 calories = roughly a handful (a little over 14)
Deliciously Ella Coconut and Oat Energy Ball
100 calories = 27.4g (just over half of one)
Cheddar cheese
100 calories = 24.4g (around two and a half tablespoons of grated cheese)
Houmous
100 calories = 32.6g (about a tablespoon and a half)