Determining how many calories you need depends on your fitness goals, whether you are a marathon runner or a weightlifter. Use intake formulas to calculate your needs for muscle gain or sustainable weight loss.
If you have a hankering for Japanese fare and are watching your weight, vegetable sushi is a healthy choice because most vegetables are extremely low in calories. If you include avocado in your sushi, however, stick to thin slices. Avocados are much higher in fat and calories than most other fruits and vegetables.
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Taco salad shells are typically deep-fried, which makes them fairly heavy on calories. Pair them with ingredients like ground beef, cheddar cheese, sour cream and guacamole, and you could end up eating more than 1,000 calories in a single salad.
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Aromatic and warm, a steaming bowl of vegetable pho makes a healthy and soothing lunch on a cold day. While this Vietnamese noodle soup is relatively low in calories -- thanks to the broth base and lean ingredients -- you still need to watch portion sizes.
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Pad Thai, a signature dish of Thailand, is made with rice noodles, tofu, peanuts, vegetables, sugar and chilies, and often contains shrimp. Served plain, the noodles in pad Thai contain about 190 calories per cup after boiling.
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With its nutritious bean sprouts, thin noodles and lean tofu, pad Thai may seem like a healthy choice; however, the calories can add up quickly in large restaurant portions. If you finish your whole plate, you'll have consumed about 940 calories, which is typically too many for a single meal.
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Made from brined grape leaves, rice, lemon and aromatic herbs, stuffed grape leaves -- also called dolmades -- make a zesty side dish or snack.
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As you age, your metabolism slows so that you need fewer calories than you did when you were younger. Each decade after age 20, your daily energy needs may decrease by as much as 150 calories, according to the American Council on Exercise.
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Made with tangy tomatoes and fresh basil, bruschetta topping is loaded with flavor but very short on calories. Trouble can start, however, if you prepare the bruschetta's toast base with too much butter or oil.
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The number of calories in a plain bagel with cream cheese depends on the size of the bagel, as well as on the amount of cream cheese you use. Because cream cheese is high in fat, going overboard can make the calories add up quickly.
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Calorie needs differ among individuals, and the exact number you need to maintain your weight depends on your age, activity level and body composition. Although only medical testing can precisely determine your daily calorie expenditure, you can get a workable estimate with a quick activity assessment.
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Green juices contain dark, leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, and are typically chock full of vitamins and minerals. However, most of these beverages also contain fruit juices or purees to balance out the vegetable flavor and to add sweetness. Fruit adds sugar, and is generally more calorie-dense than vegetables.
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Scotch whiskey is one of the lowest-calorie options on the drink menu, but moderation is still key. Alcohol calories are considered "empty" because they have no nutritional value. In addition, alcohol may stimulate your appetite, according to Columbia Health, causing you to consume more calories from food than usual.
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When you're restricted to bed, your body needs less energy than it does when you're up and about. Calories are simply units of energy; therefore, you need fewer calories in bed than with an active lifestyle. Even on a reduced-calorie diet, however, you still need vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
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Eating just one green olive will hardly bust your diet, as each piece of the brined fruit contains only 4 calories, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. This is just an average, however, and large olives will have more calories.
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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.
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Creamy, spicy red curry sauce is a staple of Thai cuisine, and you'll often find it mixed with vegetables, fish or tofu and served atop a steaming bed of rice. While red curry sauce is healthy in moderate portions, it can be high in fat and calories thanks to the addition of coconut milk.
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Sugar doughnuts are deep-fried in oil, making them rich in calories. Nearly half of the calories come from fat, and most of the rest come from refined carbohydrates.
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Miso soup is typically very low in calories, making it an excellent choice if you're watching your weight. In its most basic form of just miso paste and water, a 1-cup serving of miso soup contains just 35 calories.
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For a classic New York breakfast, a bagel with lox and cream cheese is tough to beat. This dish is fairly high in calories, but you can reduce the number of calories by using a smaller bagel and low-fat cream cheese.
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Although the calorie content of a banana muffin varies depending on the brand, size and ingredients, a medium homemade muffin may contain about 220 calories. The calorie count rises, however, with added ingredients such as nuts, chocolate chips and icing.
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