Hey friends, Registered Dietitian Richelle here. To help round out our understanding of a nutritional label, the last article was all about serving size in a package. This can help understand what the serving size is and amount(s) per package. Now, we’re going to dive deeper and focus on calories. As you look at that package and understand if you have more than one serving, you can now see how this food is going to fit into your meal plan for the day based on the number of calories it contains.
Calories are much easier to comprehend mathematically than some of the other parts of a label like fat, type of fat, etc. These are still important pieces of the puzzle, but for calories, I’m going to break down snacks and meals for the average person. If you are, for example, an elite athlete, do intense physical training, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have any specific diseases and/or illnesses, etc., this will be different for you. I’m talking about someone who normally consumes around 2,000 calories a day (which is a normal amount for a fairly active adult and the guide for the nutritional label).
If you have a snack, you’ll want to have no more than 150-200 calories per snack. That is generous, some of my clients have a snack that is around 50 calories. This is more of a prepackaged or filling snack for an active/mobile person and can be easily consumed. Maybe it’s a quick moment to eat something before a meal or a workout, or if you are fading and need a “pick me up” to get you through the next few hours before you have a meal. Snacks can be super helpful in both getting your nutrients during the day, as well as fueling your body to make it through the day and not be…hangry! In my household, snacks are key for a happy day!
If you’re having a meal, and maybe have three (with snacks) or four meals (with no snacks) a day, you’ll be around 500-700 calories. Granted, these numbers can change, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll keep it here.
So, when you look at a nutritional label and you see the number of calories per serving, it will be the top number in the table of the label. If it’s more than 200 calories, that’s a lot of calories. Are you wanting a snack or a meal? If it’s a snack, then this number may be too high and you may want to avoid a heavier meal this day since your snack has this many calories…unless your goal is to gain weight or even muscle mass.
With this same logic in mind, if you are looking at the label for a meal and it’s closer to 1500 calories, that is a LOT of calories. Many restaurants and prepackaged meals offer these and are around that amount. That is why many restaurants now are required by law to show the nutritional information on their menu, to help guide you in deciding if this is an appropriate amount of calories for your meal. It's up to you to decide.
See below for an example meal plan denoting the calories spread out for one day. This includes three meals and three snacks. I’ve also added some context on this meal plan to help you understand how the calories can add up to reach your goal.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is usually a fast paced meal, but can easily be turned into a delightful and nourishing start to your day. Cereals, granolas, and toast are usually the common culprit, but I love cooked oatmeal with almonds (protein + healthy fats), fruit, sprinkle of ground flaxseed and cinnamon can add some warming additions, fiber, and help provide satiety to your next meal offering.
SNACKS
I've created three snacks in this meal plan and these usually change depending on the season, access to foods, as well as changing it up for flavor’s sake. I love pairing a protein or fat with an easily digestible food like fruits or even something sweet. At night, I usually get a sweet tooth, but love ending all my evenings with some herbal teas. This is my take on the fan favorite of girl scout cookies...samoas. It is both nourishing and delicious!
LUNCH
People often eat lunch away from their home. Sometimes it’s a leftover dish from the night before or made that morning before hitting the office or sending your kiddos off to school. I love adding an extra place for vegetables as veggies not only add color and texture, but are amazing sources of nutrients, fiber, and can boost your energy because it's not going to cause a crash like a carbohydrate heavy meal. Salads with some protein are easy to prep, eat, and take if you keep the sauces or dressings on the side. Check out my Fall Salad as an option and top it with smoked salmon, sliced tenderloin beef or even beans for that protein.
DINNER
Dinner is a magical time to spend with family, unwind from the day, and usually where most of the calories are consumed, at least in the United States. If you flip your caloric load to lunch or even breakfast, that's amazing, but I do recommend making sure you have enough protein to make it a meal (we'll discuss more on protein later), as well as those nutrient dense vegetables. For a quick and easy protein dish, try my Lemon Chicken recipe. One of the reasons why this is so simple and delicious, is that you can quickly pop the chicken into the oven, cut some veggies while it's cooking and then add them during the last 10 minutes of cooking for roasted veggies. Some of my favorite roasted veggies are bell peppers, carrots, onions, squashes, tomatoes, mushrooms...and SO many more! 😉
Ask yourself these questions when deciding what to eat.
So, when looking at the nutritional label, here are some questions that can help guide you to choosing wisely.
Are you eating more than two meals a day with no snacks?
Are you having snacks?
Are you exercising? How much exercise each day?
Are you having a beverage like soda, beer, wine, juice, etc.?
Hidden calories, like those found in beverages, condiments, dressings, toppings, etc. may be additional calories, and they can add up very fast. While reading and understanding these food labels, it’s important to know what your goals are. By knowing how many calories are in the foods you eat, it can better help you understand how many calories you are eating at your meals and as snacks.
If you want more help about calories, I offer additional education in my one-to-one consultations and I would love to help guide you so you can be your best with this information.
Thanks and happy counting!
Bye for now,
Richelle
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