COUNT YOUR CALORIES

It is necessary for one to maintain his body weight nowadays if they want to contain the many diseases that plague humankind. One must maintain his Body Mass Index that we discussed in the last topic. Therefore one must plan one’s food intake. The following calculation will make it easier to calculate ones calorie intake that will help to maintain one’s BMI.

It is found that calorie requirement of an individual is about 1600 Calories, not more, not less.

It is divided for various times as follows;
Breakfast 25 % --- 400 Cals.
Lunch 35% --- 560 Cals.
Evening Snacks 10% --- 160 Cals.
Dinner 30% --- 480 Cals.

We eat three kinds of food everyday. They are carbohydrates, Proteins and fats. These break down to give energy, which is measured in calories. If these calories are not spent then they accumulate in the body tissues and that is how one tends to put on more weight. The energy giving capacity of these three types of food are;
Carbohydrates --- 4 Cals / gm.
Proteins --- 4 Cals / gm
Fats --- 9 Cals / gm.

Food like rice, wheat and flour are sources of carbohydrates.
Food like Dals, soya and meat are sources of Proteins.
Food like Ghee, Butter, oils are sources of fats.
Vegetables and fruits contain fewer calories. They are sources of vitamins and minerals.

The food intake can be calculated as follows;

If one chapatti weighs 75 grams, it gives 75 calories energy.
100 gms of rice give 100 calories.
A gulab Jamun that weighs 50 grams gives 450 calories.
100 gms of vegetables or fruits give 30 – 40 calories only. Therefore more intakes of vegetables and fruits are preferred. Exceptions are potatoes (100 gms give 100 cals, Banana 100 cals.)

If one eats 4 chapattis and 200gms of vegetables, he gets 380 cals. A cup of Curd/Dahi made from toned (30 gms ) milk will give approximately 150 cals.

The calorie intake depends on one’s physical efforts. If one is doing strenuous physical work he may require more calories accordingly.

( The above information sourced from Dr. Bimal Chajjer’s SAAOL Foundation, New Delhi ).