Large, white-bread rolls contain energy from calories, but are short on nutrients, compared to their whole-grain counterparts. In addition, refined flour in white bread is rapidly digested, causing a spike and crash in blood sugar.

Penne alla vodka consists of penne topped with Parmesan cheese and a tomato-based sauce containing crushed red pepper, cream and vodka. As with any pasta dish, a large part of controlling the number of calories you consume is watching your serving size.

Lasagna is a classic comfort food, mixing the gooey texture of cheese with tender pasta and tangy tomato sauce. Depending on the ingredients you use, however, this dish can either be a diet buster or a sensible meal.

The calories in pan-fried meatballs made with beef, pork or lamb can really add up if you don't watch your serving size. Making your meatballs with lower-calorie ingredients, such as chicken, turkey or fish, and baking or steaming them can help you limit the amount of calories you consume.

The exact calorie content of spaghetti with meat sauce will depend on the type of pasta and the type of ground meat you use in your sauce, as well as your portion size.

The most important tip to remember about shopping for ice cream is this: Read the nutrition facts panel. Don’t rely on the front label unless it states the exact number of calories. Some brands of ice cream may have less fat but more sugar, which means calories lost from fat are replaced with sugar.

Eggplant provides significant amounts of fiber and manganese, a mineral that acts as an antioxidant. As long as you don't load the eggplant down with fat by frying it with oil or adding fatty toppings such as cheese, it is also relatively low in calories.

It's hard to find a more nutrient-dense meal than a vegetable stir-fry. The veggies are so low in calories that even if you like to serve them over rice -- which can double or triple the total calories -- you'll still have a meal that fits into a weight-loss plan.

When changing your body shape and weight, either by building muscle or losing fat, calories are everything. The number of calories you eat will determine whether you lose or gain weight.

When eating flaky biscuits, watch your portions because the calories can quickly add up. Stick with only eating one biscuit to manage your calorie consumption, and make sure to use portion control when adding butter or other condiments.

The food from your favorite Chinese restaurant probably contains a reasonably low amount of saturated and trans fat, but likely, it will provide you with a larger number of calories, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Ordering vegetable lo mein will help keep your caloric intake in check.

Gin contains the same number of calories as other distilled spirits such as rum, vodka and whiskey. Unlike calories from food, alcohol calories have no nutritional value. They do provide energy, however, and can cause weight gain if you consume excess.