Friday 12 January 2007

COUNTDOWN

If you are beginning the new year with yet another attempt to shed a few unwanted pounds or like me, stones (for American readers: 1 stone = 14 pounds), then it may help to visualise those calories the intake of which marks out those who are overweight from those who are not...

For example, each of the following represent 200 calories even though they are hiding in quite different-sized food portions...

Celery : 1425 grams


Peanut Butter : 34 grams


Flax Bread : 90 grams


Sesame Seed Bagel : 70 grams


Apples : 385 grams


Snickers Bar : 41 grams


Salted Mixed Nuts : 200 grams


Broccoli : 588 grams


You can view a substantial listing of 200 calorie food pictures at wiseGEEK. After all, it's always useful to know your enemy!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ouch! That's hit a sore spot!
I was interested by the way in the program this evening on the BBC: "The truth about food"... food for thought, mmm?!

Brian Sibley said...

GILL has just e-mailed to say...

"Hi Have just read the calorie blog! Food is not the enemy, appetite and habit are the enemies!

You may like to know [if you don't already] that celery is said to have negative calories as it takes so much energy to digest it that this uses more calories than the celery has! Trouble is that doesn't make it less boring.....

Don't forget the 'dustbin' mantra!

I've just started my own version of a detox diet, so the blog was very timely!"


***


The 'dustbin mantra' referred to relates to Gill's advice when you are confronted with more food on your plate than you can comfortably eat: "You are NOT a dustbin!"

Worth remembering - especially for those of us who grew up in the post-war era when the parental edict was invariably: "Don't waste good food! Eat it all up!"