How many chocolate chip cookies do you need to fill you up? Me, I don’t get out of bed without a package. ‘Cause when it comes to putting food in your mouth, how much doesn’t count as long as it tastes good. But imagine what a favor we’d be doing our bodies simply by starting to listen to what they say. And it doesn’t take a whole lot.
Swapping food for healthier alternatives is the way to go, and we present you some of the most easy-to-understand healthy charts that speak numbers and quantities. Take notes, everyone—we are about to build a better snack menu no one will ever feel guilty for.
Scroll down below for Bored Panda’s interview with Graeme Tomlinson, the man behind the widely popular Instagram account The Fitness Chef known for myth-busting nutrition infographics about making wise food choices.
This post may include affiliate links.
You are totally missing the point of which is healthier for you. It's not about the calories
The glycemic index of the sweet potatoes is way much lower, isn't it ?
Load More Replies...
I wasn't either, but I once they a sweet potato version of Poutine and absolutely love it over the one with regular potatoes :D I think it's about the dish, not just the ingredient
Load More Replies...
It's not the calories, it's the lack of nutrients in the white potatoes vs. the nutrient-rich sweet potatoes
potatoes are nutrient-rich, too, just not fashionably colorful ones (potassium, vit C, vit B6)...
Load More Replies...
It isn't all about calories. The nutritional content of sweet potatoes is better for you.
Yes, frying is the least healthy method of food preparation, obviously, it still matters what food you're frying.
Load More Replies...
I always knew sweet potatoes have high calorie intake compared to white potatoes, my mom used to tell me all the time. That's why I always remained careful not to take so much of the sweet ones.
... and you don't need to; sweet potatoes (also called yams) are hardier, more nutritious, therefore more filling.
Load More Replies...
What's the Net Carb for both? As a type 2 diabetic i am not really concerned about calorie count...
I'm not diabetic to know, but there's a huge difference between complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes) and simple carbohydrates - refined sugar (candies, cakes, pastries, white bread). Did you know that plant-based (Vegan) diet can not only prevent diabetes but also reverse it? Get more info at Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
Load More Replies...
Foods that have more fiber and vitamins (sweet potatoes vs white) are not such 'empty' calories.
The healthier food is more hardy and filling, you eat less, get more nutrients, therefore less calories. So this statements are misleading. Both are healthy choices compared to animal protein. I once read an article about a guy who ate nothing else only potatoes, he lost weight and his nutritional needs were met. However, it is recommended to eat colorful variety of plant-based foods.
nobody said that sweet potato makes you thin, everybody knows it has more calories, where are you living that you have thins misbelief? :D
Again, sweet potatoes are hardier, more nutritious, have more fiber, therefore more filling, definitely they won't make you fat. What's important to watch is amount of fat you consume and the number of portions. One portion is what fits in your palm.
Load More Replies...
And here I thought the whole point was the disclaimer typed at the bottom of each: *does not make you thin *does not make you fat
It's not the fat or not, it's the empty calories in the white potatoes vs. the nutrients in sweet potatoes
You are wrong, Mari, potatoes - white, yellow, red are definitely nutritious also.
Load More Replies...
It's about surface area vs volume. The thicker the fries the less surface area/volume there is for the oil to attach to. I'd like to see what happens if they sweet potato fries were cut that way.
Stupid article, all values are incorrect. All values should be in kcal (kilocalorie). 160 cal is less than one tic-tac.
Context matters. They are talking about calories in food, so you can safely assume that they mean kilocalories.
Load More Replies...
So plain meat is not gross?? Plus animal proteins jeopardize your health, hinders your body's ability to run smoothly and protect itself.
Load More Replies...
Many people on social media have found the Fitness Chef infographics useful when looking for healthier alternatives in their everyday food choices.
Graeme told us that most calorie-dense foods have their lower calorie alternatives. “These are an excellent opportunity to continue eating a food you enjoy, but which also supports a fat loss goal, because to lose fat, you must consume fewer calories than you expend.” In other words, you need to get to the calorie deficit.
On the other hand, Graeme assures readers that you don’t need to ban sugar or carbs from your diet, because “there is no evidence to suggest they individually make you fat.”
Do you know how much of peanut butter is 40g? And 30g of jam? On one piece of bread? That would be too much, no one puts that much.
I get the point that our choices add up, but I'm keeping the cream in my coffee, thanks.
The fitness chef said that you need to “work out an enjoyable way to include them in moderation alongside nutritious food.”
Many of us do make mistakes with our food choices simply because we don’t fully understand the nutritional components of that food. “For example,” Graeme explained, “for someone trying to lose weight, believing that eating any amount of nutritious, calorie-dense foods like nuts or oily fish is ok just because they support some aspects of health may be problematic if it means they are no longer in a calorie deficit.”
Apples make me hungrier, while i find banana to be fairly filling. Swap them!
Graeme believes that virtually any food can be eaten, but “we need to understand our overall diet over time.” Since there’s so much misinformation and confusion published online, his advice is “to follow those with the least extreme advice.”
For more advice, check out Graeme’s bestselling book “Eat What You Like & Lose Weight For Life” and his meal planner app.
It's funny, but since I've gone vegan, my iron levels are way up.
So the message is... go eat at McD instead of trail mix? What am I missing?
By the looks of things, "Protein" has replaced "Organic" in the latest marketing techniques.
That's a total nonsense. To count in calories is already a nonsense but to compare 80g to 40g is a nonsence too. Garlic is excellent for the health, cranberries contains fibers, mint help you to digest...you can't compare calories to eat healthier, you have to know what you eat. 100kcal of protein, carbohydrates or lipids do not affect the body in the same way, and with or without fibers and other elements that's good for the health count a lot. Everything is good, we need all of it, no food is an enemy, just know what you eat and take pleasure eating. It's not just fuel, we are not SUVS.
Who eats this much anyway?! Two slices of toast is a huge meal, especially as a dessert with a chocolate spread - let alone 4!
I would love to know where this person is getting their calorie counts from because they are way off the mark. First off there is no way that anyone would eat 143 blueberries in one sitting. Second when researching the caloric intake of these amounts, I get a number way below 1000 calories.
Who can eat a whole large pizza and 2 double chocolate bars for dessert??
A lot of these figures aren't even accurate. A single 1.5 oz (45mL) serving of vodka contains 97 calories. Anything with at least 1 serving of alcohol in it (equal to 18mL) would be at least the same. Even if you're calling a serving 1 oz (30mL) that's still 65 calories. It seems the person who put this together spent a lot more time making it look nicely than researching their facts and figures.
Note: this post originally had 55 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Some of it (more than I half I'd say) is pure rubbish - don't tell me Mac is just as good as something with 100% veggie because calories count is the same! Stupid bulshit.
The problem is most people equate nutrient rich foods as being low calorie.
Load More Replies...
As some other commenters are saying, it's not all about calories. It's about nutrients. It's about glycemic spike.
The big falsehood (promoted by Big Sugar) is that all calories are equal. How your body responds to the calorie is important too.
Load More Replies... If you really want to lose weight, go see a dietitian instead of believing some random information on the internet.
This was so confusing. One minute they are saying fast food is a better deal than "health" food and the next minute, fast food is all the calories in the world. The pictures are very misleading by talking about a large quantity of a food but only showing a small amount in the picture. Adding a ton of nuts to everything will ramp up the calories, and this was done deliberately to skew a lot of otherwise low calorie and healthy options. In the end, this post says that everything can be good and everything can be bad, and what could you possibly learn in the end?
I have done a lot of research since I am trying to lose weight naturally (no fads). A lot of this is c**p as there are many foods that have much needed benefits that their counterparts do not have. Berries are high in antioxidants for example but I saw them being in the "bad" pile on a lot of these pics. Avocados are high in calories but what they offer is well worth the extra calories. My advice is to research and talk to your doctor before dieting. People who push books on dieting are just after one thing, it's green and it's not your veggies.
Check out the web site Physician Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM); books, scientific facts, backed up by research, not for profit.
Load More Replies...
Good idea, but honestly, many of these were not informative for me. There's pictures of foods I genuinely couldn't recognise. Cultural differences, yeah, but we're all human....
I didn't recognize a lot of the food either - but learned of Paddlepop Tornados and Party Ring Biscuits.
Load More Replies...
I actually found this list a bit infuriating and is giving people the wrong messages. Calories are not everything, you need to look at the sugar, salt and fat contents as well.
I'm not convinced this person knows much about actual nutrition.
I had a really hard time with this because it focused mainly on calories. What if you are paying attention to glycemic index? What if you have high blood pressure and need to watch your salt intake? Which foods cause inflammation? And what if you're simply trying to get more nutrition out of your food? The body needs nutrition, and it processes nutrition from food better than a pill. I can't advocate ditching all junk food forever, because that's extraordinarily difficult, but I would absolutely advocate upgrading one's main diet to more nutritious foods. Comparing avocado to Nutella is misleading, if you compare the nutritional values of each. Avocados are food. Nutella is a treat.
The damage to the body caused by half these "recommendations"... *shudder*
Why is this featured? One post you are whining how bread is fine but the topping is the problem, but on another a pizza with a paprika as base is fine but the bread is the problem? Creative minds indeed
Problem I see is that counting only calories will get you thinner, but not healthier or happier. So, not sustainable in the long term for most people.
this is a stupid post. health is NOT only about calories but the value of the caloried and products consumed
This entire post is really irresponsible, misleading and definitely not about health.
Uhhh for a guy who's supposed to be into nutrition and healthy eating, this guy sure seems to forget about nutrition in a lot of these posts... Some of the nutrient comparison charts were interesting though!
I think it was good, but calories are not the only thing that goes in a healthy body... They didn't seen to care about fibre or anything else...
I wish people would stop saying that diet sodas taste the same as regular. They don't. They won't. Quit lying.
The shock & judgement at how much junk people consume & the confusion as to why anyone would choose low cal over a healthy snack shows that a lot of people reading this are 1. NOT AMERICAN and 2. Already in a healthy weight range :) Yes, a healthy, balanced, nutrient-rich diet is by far the best and safest way to eat. However, in the US, media & influencers take advantage of overweight people with very misleading diets & products. Most of Europe has higher food standards, and in other countries, the crappy food junk American eat, isn't cheap (or even accesible)! The most effective way to lose weight is: burn more energy than you consume. Understanding calories helps many people do this. In my case, I first (FINALLY) lost a weight by counting calories, and then maintained a healthy weight by slowly making healthier choices every day. But I'm so thankful I learnt about calories first, because if my weight ever creeps back up on the scale I know an effective way to get back on track.
I think the most important takeaway here is that portion sizes are important, regardless of how "healthy" a particular food is. Last summer I hit my all-time highest weight and was considerably overweight. I didn't want to diet or count calories, so I decided I'd simply "eat healthy" and the weight would fall off naturally. So I replaced all the burgers and pizza and white bread with yogurt, fruit, nuts, oatmeal, grilled chicken, and salads. I gained 8 pounds in 6 weeks. So I tried a calorie restricted diet instead. At first, I relied on a lot of prepackaged foods that may not have been too healthy in terms of sodium or preservatives, but it was easier to limit myself to a set portion size. I soon realized I had become accustomed to eating way too much food, and it was really hard to re-acclimate. But as I got used to the lower calorie count, then I was able to focus on swapping some of that processed food for more nutritious choices. I lost 47 pounds and am much healthier now.
It's about awareness! The posters are not telling you what to eat, but be aware and educate yourself, don't just assume!
What about this was supposed to change the way I think? This is all pretty basic health information. Except for the really goofy stuff ....certain foods don't 'make you fat,' or 'make you thin,' and I've never heard society telling me this. I've never heard anyone 'demonize Nutella,' for pete's sake. What I hear is "Well we are being taught this and that....people don't know it's unhealthy." That's nonsense. They are making a choice to eat something unhealthy, and it's their choice to make.
There are simple changes you can make without obsessing about all this. 1. Stop drinking soda and sugary drinks. 2. Add high-fiber foods to your diet. 3. Replace one non-fruit or veg snack with a whole fruit or veg. 4. Make sure you have at least one portion of fruit or vegs in every meal.
Some of these images are just so dumb. Like the whole-grain avocado toast vs. the white bread with Nutella, or the 'Instagram breakfast' vs. the McDonalds meal. Those are good meals full of nutrition vs. meals full of bad fats, sodium and sugar among other things. Aka. nutrition over obsessing about calories. And then this person comes along and is like "rethink how the avocado toast is so much better - it contains way more calories!" Facepalm.
There's no such thing as "junk food" and there's no such thing as a "superfood." It isn't what you eat that makes you fat, it's how much you eat in relation to how active you are. And the miracle health claims made for things like acai berries or wheatgrass juice (or whatever the "miracle food" of the month might be)? Snake oil. Pure woo.
This post was made to please "experts" like John Baker. Yes, there IS junk food and there ARE MIRACULOUS GOOD foods which make wonders for your body.....I can attest to the truth of this statement.
Load More Replies... To everyone saying "don't focus on calories, it's *what* you eat that matters" - that's exactly the dangerous mentality this post is trying to point out. Too often we focus on what is a "good food" vs. "bad food", but don't focus on balance or portion size. As a result, we consume too many calories. If you eat more calories than you burn, you WILL gain weight, and obesity is in itself a health risk.
Some of it (more than I half I'd say) is pure rubbish - don't tell me Mac is just as good as something with 100% veggie because calories count is the same! Stupid bulshit.
The problem is most people equate nutrient rich foods as being low calorie.
Load More Replies... As some other commenters are saying, it's not all about calories. It's about nutrients. It's about glycemic spike.
The big falsehood (promoted by Big Sugar) is that all calories are equal. How your body responds to the calorie is important too.
Load More Replies... If you really want to lose weight, go see a dietitian instead of believing some random information on the internet.
This was so confusing. One minute they are saying fast food is a better deal than "health" food and the next minute, fast food is all the calories in the world. The pictures are very misleading by talking about a large quantity of a food but only showing a small amount in the picture. Adding a ton of nuts to everything will ramp up the calories, and this was done deliberately to skew a lot of otherwise low calorie and healthy options. In the end, this post says that everything can be good and everything can be bad, and what could you possibly learn in the end?
I have done a lot of research since I am trying to lose weight naturally (no fads). A lot of this is c**p as there are many foods that have much needed benefits that their counterparts do not have. Berries are high in antioxidants for example but I saw them being in the "bad" pile on a lot of these pics. Avocados are high in calories but what they offer is well worth the extra calories. My advice is to research and talk to your doctor before dieting. People who push books on dieting are just after one thing, it's green and it's not your veggies.
Check out the web site Physician Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM); books, scientific facts, backed up by research, not for profit.
Load More Replies... Good idea, but honestly, many of these were not informative for me. There's pictures of foods I genuinely couldn't recognise. Cultural differences, yeah, but we're all human....
I didn't recognize a lot of the food either - but learned of Paddlepop Tornados and Party Ring Biscuits.
Load More Replies... I actually found this list a bit infuriating and is giving people the wrong messages. Calories are not everything, you need to look at the sugar, salt and fat contents as well.
I'm not convinced this person knows much about actual nutrition.
I had a really hard time with this because it focused mainly on calories. What if you are paying attention to glycemic index? What if you have high blood pressure and need to watch your salt intake? Which foods cause inflammation? And what if you're simply trying to get more nutrition out of your food? The body needs nutrition, and it processes nutrition from food better than a pill. I can't advocate ditching all junk food forever, because that's extraordinarily difficult, but I would absolutely advocate upgrading one's main diet to more nutritious foods. Comparing avocado to Nutella is misleading, if you compare the nutritional values of each. Avocados are food. Nutella is a treat.
The damage to the body caused by half these "recommendations"... *shudder*
Why is this featured? One post you are whining how bread is fine but the topping is the problem, but on another a pizza with a paprika as base is fine but the bread is the problem? Creative minds indeed
Problem I see is that counting only calories will get you thinner, but not healthier or happier. So, not sustainable in the long term for most people.
this is a stupid post. health is NOT only about calories but the value of the caloried and products consumed
This entire post is really irresponsible, misleading and definitely not about health.
Uhhh for a guy who's supposed to be into nutrition and healthy eating, this guy sure seems to forget about nutrition in a lot of these posts... Some of the nutrient comparison charts were interesting though!
I think it was good, but calories are not the only thing that goes in a healthy body... They didn't seen to care about fibre or anything else...
I wish people would stop saying that diet sodas taste the same as regular. They don't. They won't. Quit lying.
The shock & judgement at how much junk people consume & the confusion as to why anyone would choose low cal over a healthy snack shows that a lot of people reading this are 1. NOT AMERICAN and 2. Already in a healthy weight range :) Yes, a healthy, balanced, nutrient-rich diet is by far the best and safest way to eat. However, in the US, media & influencers take advantage of overweight people with very misleading diets & products. Most of Europe has higher food standards, and in other countries, the crappy food junk American eat, isn't cheap (or even accesible)! The most effective way to lose weight is: burn more energy than you consume. Understanding calories helps many people do this. In my case, I first (FINALLY) lost a weight by counting calories, and then maintained a healthy weight by slowly making healthier choices every day. But I'm so thankful I learnt about calories first, because if my weight ever creeps back up on the scale I know an effective way to get back on track.
I think the most important takeaway here is that portion sizes are important, regardless of how "healthy" a particular food is. Last summer I hit my all-time highest weight and was considerably overweight. I didn't want to diet or count calories, so I decided I'd simply "eat healthy" and the weight would fall off naturally. So I replaced all the burgers and pizza and white bread with yogurt, fruit, nuts, oatmeal, grilled chicken, and salads. I gained 8 pounds in 6 weeks. So I tried a calorie restricted diet instead. At first, I relied on a lot of prepackaged foods that may not have been too healthy in terms of sodium or preservatives, but it was easier to limit myself to a set portion size. I soon realized I had become accustomed to eating way too much food, and it was really hard to re-acclimate. But as I got used to the lower calorie count, then I was able to focus on swapping some of that processed food for more nutritious choices. I lost 47 pounds and am much healthier now.
It's about awareness! The posters are not telling you what to eat, but be aware and educate yourself, don't just assume!
What about this was supposed to change the way I think? This is all pretty basic health information. Except for the really goofy stuff ....certain foods don't 'make you fat,' or 'make you thin,' and I've never heard society telling me this. I've never heard anyone 'demonize Nutella,' for pete's sake. What I hear is "Well we are being taught this and that....people don't know it's unhealthy." That's nonsense. They are making a choice to eat something unhealthy, and it's their choice to make.
There are simple changes you can make without obsessing about all this. 1. Stop drinking soda and sugary drinks. 2. Add high-fiber foods to your diet. 3. Replace one non-fruit or veg snack with a whole fruit or veg. 4. Make sure you have at least one portion of fruit or vegs in every meal.
Some of these images are just so dumb. Like the whole-grain avocado toast vs. the white bread with Nutella, or the 'Instagram breakfast' vs. the McDonalds meal. Those are good meals full of nutrition vs. meals full of bad fats, sodium and sugar among other things. Aka. nutrition over obsessing about calories. And then this person comes along and is like "rethink how the avocado toast is so much better - it contains way more calories!" Facepalm.
There's no such thing as "junk food" and there's no such thing as a "superfood." It isn't what you eat that makes you fat, it's how much you eat in relation to how active you are. And the miracle health claims made for things like acai berries or wheatgrass juice (or whatever the "miracle food" of the month might be)? Snake oil. Pure woo.
This post was made to please "experts" like John Baker. Yes, there IS junk food and there ARE MIRACULOUS GOOD foods which make wonders for your body.....I can attest to the truth of this statement.
Load More Replies... To everyone saying "don't focus on calories, it's *what* you eat that matters" - that's exactly the dangerous mentality this post is trying to point out. Too often we focus on what is a "good food" vs. "bad food", but don't focus on balance or portion size. As a result, we consume too many calories. If you eat more calories than you burn, you WILL gain weight, and obesity is in itself a health risk.
