A good diet plan requires three sets of figures---a daily calorie count, standard serving sizes and a calorie limit. In order to regulate your intake of food calories and nutrients, you need a healthy-weight caloric limit, generally considered to average 2,000 calories. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses this number to calculate suggested serving sizes and their daily values (DV) of nutrients.
You can find this information on food labels to help you choose low-calorie foods and conduct your own calorie count. The FDA considers 400 calories or more a high ratio for one serving; under 100 calories is low. Here are some FDA caloric values and the portion amounts on which they are based.
Meats, Dairy and Seafood
Breakfast bacon (3 slices, 103 calories) and pork sausage (1 patty, 92) offer substantial protein, B vitamins and fat along with their caloric values. Lowfat yogurt (8 oz., 143) makes a low-calorie breakfast food, and nonfat milk (8 oz., 83) is an appropriate diet plan beverage. Both items contain calcium as a bonus.
A top sirloin steak (3 oz., 207) is moderate in calories and fat. Higher-calorie meats and fish include pork spareribs without sauce (3 oz., 337), duck (1/2 roasted bird, 444) and tuna salad (1 cup, 383). Low-calorie foods include chicken drumsticks (1 skinless, 76) orange roughy (3 oz., 89) and Alaska king crab (3 oz., 82).
Fresh Produce
Low-calorie foods abound in the fruit and vegetable aisle, with a few on the high side. One cup of artichoke hearts has a calorie count of 89. A banana packs 105, a cup of blueberries has 83 and butternut squash delivers 94. The good news is that these foods also have extremely high levels of beneficial nutrients, such as potassium, fiber and vitamins A and C.
Include plenty of these super low-calorie food items on your diet plan: asparagus (4 spears, 13 calories), cucumber (1 cup, 14), cabbage (1 cup raw, 17) and beets (1 beet, 22). Get flavor from fruit, such as plums (1 fruit, 30), grapes (10 piece, 35) and peaches (1 fruit, 38).
Sweets
These calorie counts for your favorite treats and desserts will help you plan strategic indulgences: a 12-oz. regular cola has 137 calories, while a 12-oz. club soda has zero.
Compare one piece of homemade chocolate cake (from mix, with frosting, 354 calories) with a similar serving of angel food cake (159). A single chocolate chip cookie (47) won't ruin your diet plan---but a vanilla milk shake (357) just might.
