Despite the plethora of modern calorie-tracking apps and platforms, you don’t have to count every calorie to eat well and be healthy. When trying to gain a foothold of control over your nutrition, though, it can help to have a rough idea as you go about your day.
Once you have a rough sense of how much energy you’re taking in, your food choices may become easier. Meals stop feeling like a test you can fail. You stop needing a diet to tell you what a normal day looks like because you can see it for yourself.
This can be especially helpful for GLP-1 patients.
People look for a GLP-1 food list expecting a column of banned foods, but there really isn’t one. That said, semaglutide and tirzepatide slow digestion, so greasy foods can cause stomach upset. Beyond grease and saturated fat, knowing the calories in common foods is useful for those on a GLP-1 because it can tell you how much of your favorite foods you can eat before that GLP-1 fullness might start to kick in.
That’s what this page is for. Numbers applied to actual food.
Why count calories?
All food carries energy. Calories are the unit Americans use for it, and kilojoules (kJ) are the metric version of the same measure. One calorie is about 4.2 kilojoules, and you will sometimes see both on a label.
Counting calories isn’t always as easy as it sounds because energy amounts vary with different foods. A handful of almonds and a big bowl of salad greens can weigh about the same and yet the almonds carry many times the calories. Neither is superior to the other, just different.
When you know which foods are energy-dense and which ones fill you up with fewer calories, you can put together meals that leave you satisfied without quietly eating a day and a half of fuel before you’ve even had your dinner.
For many people, this first step brings about a new level of food awareness. This awareness can then help you learn why you are hungry in the first place and control overeating.
Getting started
These articles will give you a working picture of where your energy comes from:
- Fast Facts on Fast Food: What a drive-thru order really costs you in calories, and why the posted numbers on the menu board beat the marketing above them
- Calories in Typical Foods: Breakfast through dessert, with honest ballpark figures for the food most people actually eat
- Guess How Many: A game that recalibrates your eye to stop underestimating calories
Calories in Specific Foods
- Calories in Chicken Breast
- Banana Calories
- Calories in an Egg
- Apple Calories
- Big Mac Calories
- Calories in Strawberries
- Calories in Grapes
- Rice Calories
- Calories in Vodka
- Calories in a Slice of Pizza
- Baked Potato Calories
A GLP-1 food list: Foods to avoid on Ozempic
Nothing is off limits on a GLP-1, with one practical exception.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide slow the stomach down, so your stomach is emptying at about half speed. Large, greasy, or very rich meals can linger and cause stomach upset, such as bloat, cramping, or nausea, as can sugary sodas. What works instead? Small meals of lean protein and cooked vegetables, eaten slowly. It’s dull but reliable.
People on a GLP-1 may also find that alcohol affects them differently than before they were on the medication. Slowed digestion can delay or enhance the effects of alcohol, and you also must consider your blood sugar, which both alcohol and GLP-1s tend to lower, as well as dehydration risk.
One thing to make sure you’re getting plenty of on a GLP-1 diet is fiber. Constipation is a common complaint of GLP-1 treatment, so make sure you drink plenty of water and water-rich fruits and vegetables as well.
We could not end a discussion of beneficial foods to eat on a medication like semaglutide or tirzepatide without talking about protein. Protein keeps you full and helps you maintain muscle as you lose weight. Don’t eat enough protein and you might still lose weight, but you’ll be losing muscle, not fat. Choose lean protein over fatty, so that means beans, chicken, plain yogurt, and fish over processed meats, beef, or pork.
Calories out and calories in
Nutrition Facts labels in the US reflect a 2,000-calorie reference day. That number is only a reference point for the label, not necessarily a personal target for you. Your own required caloric intake will depend on your size, your age, and how much you move.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) refers to how many calories you burn simply by being alive, not by moving your body actively. Exercise adds an additional calorie deficit. The average BMR is 1,300–2,000. Roughly speaking, here’s the type of calorie burns typical for a given day:
- About 1,500 calories (6,200 kJ): a very light day, low for most adults, often without exercise
- About 2,000 calories (8,400 kJ): an active day for some, average for others
- Somewhere north of 2,500 calories (10,500 kJ): achievable by highly active people
Once you establish how many calories you burn in a day, you can begin building a nutrition plan that matches your goals.
Here’s a snapshot of what that looks like in a few common foods. Treat every figure as a ballpark. Brands vary, portions vary, and the only exact numbers are the ones on the package or on the chain’s own posted nutrition information.
| Food | Roughly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medium banana | 105 cal (440 kJ) | Cheap, portable fuel |
| Slice of sandwich bread | 80 cal (335 kJ) | Calories doubled with butter |
| Fast-food chicken sandwich | 500 to 700 cal (2,100 to 2,900 kJ) | Higher calories in fried versions |
| Latte, whole milk, 16 oz | 190 to 250 cal (800 to 1,050 kJ) | Liquid calories add up fast |
| Standard candy bar | 220 to 280 cal (920 to 1,170 kJ) | High in fat and sugar, not filling |
| Chicken breast cooked in olive oil | 250 calories (1,046 kJ) | Filling, high in good fat |
| Medium baked potato with cheese | 300–450 calories (1,255 to 1,883 kJ) | Additional calories from toppings |
Note how the chicken with olive oil has the same calories as a candy bar, yet only one will fill you up and satisfy your hunger. Once you grow familiar with the calories in what you eat, portions start making sense on their own.
No good foods, no bad foods
This is not a diet blog, and nobody here is going to call you out on your nutrition. The point of putting energy on the page is so you can decide how you want to consume it.
Some foods carry a lot of energy and not much else. Pastries, chips, and regular soda, for example. Other foods carry a moderate amount of energy along with protein, fiber, and micronutrients that keep you full and functioning. Beans, chicken, oats, fruit, and vegetables are a few examples. Knowing which is which lets you keep the pastry and still finish the day in balance.
Balance over restriction
The aim is not to eat less of everything. It is to spend your energy on food that pays you back.
- Combine foods. Put an energy-dense food next to a light one. Pizza and a salad beat pizza and fries.
- Prioritize protein and fiber. They keep you full for fewer calories than fat or sugar does.
- Avoid liquid calories. These calories are the easiest to miss.
- Plan ahead. If you know an event is coming where all your favorite foods will be on display, budget for that as you plan your other meals.
Food does more than fuel you. It can affect your mood, your sleep, your focus, and your ability to fight disease. Eating with some attention can help make the rest of life easier.
Feeding a family
Kids need more energy per pound than adults do because they are still building a body. In practice that means they can eat the same dinner you do, in a smaller portion, without any tracking necessary at all.
But what kids eat is important, so see our kids’ section for age ranges, meal ideas, and tips for how to talk to kids and teens about food without affecting body image.
Nutrition and calorie resources
For specific and reliable information, it’s always best to go to the source. The USDA’s FoodData Central has values for thousands of foods. MyPlate covers portions. Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations have to post calories on the menu, and we cover how that works in which outlets and what the rules are.
If you want individual advice, a registered dietitian is the person to ask, and you can find one here.
Start with the pages above, then look at what you ate yesterday. You don’t have to make drastic changes on day one, just start reading the Nutrition Facts and see where that takes you.