The U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid recommends that whole grains form the base of your daily calories. Pasta is an excellent source of whole grain, complex carbohydrates. In addition to the noodle content, pasta dishes include sauces, vegetables, proteins, herbs and oils. Using recipes and ingredient lists to deconstruct pasta dishes, and reading nutrition labels and using online calorie calculators will help you keep track of all the calories in pasta dishes.
Step 1
Read the nutrition labels on boxes of pasta dishes you are evaluating and jars and boxes of sauces, noodles and cheeses used to make the dish. Note the number of serving sizes per container so you can make the correct calorie calculations.
Step 2
Write a list of the ingredients in the pasta dish you are evaluating if it is not packaged and labeled. Include any oils, herbs and other seasonings you use to prepare and serve the dish. Calculate the amounts of each item, such as ounces of fish or teaspoons of olive oil.
Step 3
Calculate the number of calories in each ingredient using online calorie calculators, such as the one found at LIVESTRONG's My Plate. Make any calculations necessary to match the serving size results you find online to the serving sizes in the dish you are evaluating.
Step 4
Total the number of calories of each item by its correct serving size to calculate the total number of calories in the dish. If you generated your individual ingredient calorie numbers using the total number of calories to create the dish, not a single serving of the dish, divide the number of calories in the dish by the number of servings to get the calories per serving for that dish.
Step 5
Calculate calories by nutrient component, such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This will help you determine how many calories you get from carbs or protein if that is important for your dieting or meal planning.
Things You'll Need
- Nutrition labels
- Online calorie calculators
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