What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

When it comes to counting calories, you’d be surprised by how much different foods differ in calorie count. Some foods are much more calorie-dense than others, so it is helpful to know roughly how many calories are in different types of foods so you can confidently build a healthy plate. To help with this, we’re taking a look at what 200 calories looks like in different foods. You’ll be quite surprised by a few of them!

How Many Calories Should You Eat In a Day

When it comes to calories, there’s no hard-and-fast rule for how many everyone should be eating in a day. It’s going to be different for everyone, based on age, height, gender, and activity level.

A good place to start figuring out how many calories you’d need to maintain your weight is to multiply your current weight by 15 since there are 15 calories per pound of bodyweight. For example, for someone who weighs 150 lbs, they would multiply 150 x 15, and find that they should be eating around 2,250 calories per day.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like

While 200 calories might not seem like a lot, you’d be surprised by how big, and small, the portions of different foods are equivalent to 200 calories. This is for several different reasons, including the water, fibers, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content of different foods.

Meat

Listen up, bacon lovers, just 2 strips of bacon equals 200 calories, because of its high protein and fat content. But, for a lower calorie option, you can substitute in 5 strips of turkey bacon, since it is leaner than classic bacon. Sticking with turkey, it takes 7.2 oz. of sliced turkey to reach 200 calories. So you can keep enjoying those turkey sandwiches for lunch. If you’re looking for a heartier option, you can’t go wrong with bison, which you can eat up to 4 oz. of before reaching 200 calories.

Fruits and Vegetables

When it comes to fruits and vegetables you’d have to eat three medium-sized apples to get to the 200 calorie mark, which equals about 13.5 oz. If apples aren’t your thing, then two bananas, or about 8 oz. is what it’ll take to get to 200 calories. This is another reason we love our bananas! However, dried fruits have more calories per ounce than fresh fruit. For example, just a ½ cup of raisins equals 200 calories.

Vegetables are very low in calories. To get 200 calories from vegetables you could eat seven cups (or 50.3 oz.) of chopped celery. If that’s not enough to fill you up, 10 cups (or 20.7 oz.) of chopped broccoli will give your body another 200 calories to burn.

Rice

Rice is considered a more high-calorie food. Just one cup of cooked, long-grain, white rice is 200 calories. Rice can fit into a healthy plate, but it’s important to balance it with more low-calorie foods, like vegetables, for a well-rounded dish that isn’t too high in calories.

Flour – Wheat vs Tapioca

Baked goods and bread are typically foods people scale back on when counting calories, or trying to lighten things up. This is why: ½ cup of flour contains over 200 calories. For those folks living gluten-free, substituting tapioca flour won’t be saving you any calories as a ½ cup of tapioca flour contains roughly the same amount of calories as wheat flour.

Beans

Beans are a great source of protein, and like rice, are a common side in many dishes. But, also like rice, fairly small portions of beans can have a big calorie count. If you open up a can of black beans, it will only take 6.56 oz. to get to 200 calories. The same with a can of pork and beans.

Low-Calorie Food Options

While some foods are higher in calories than others, they can all fit within a healthy diet. After all, some of the healthiest foods on earth like avocados, olive oil, and almonds are high in calories. The key is to choose smaller portions of higher-calorie foods while filling up on lower-calorie foods.

Now, if you want some low-calorie food options that go a long way, we’ve got you covered. As mentioned above, fruit is a great option for part of a healthy breakfast, a good source of protein such as a hard-boiled egg or plain greek yogurt. You could even pair fresh berries with a ½ cup of cottage cheese for a quick 200 calorie meal.

If you’re looking for a light lunch you can eat on the go, try a bento-box style lunch that includes celery, baby carrots, hummus, and turkey slices. If you’re more of a sandwich person, you can make yourself a meal with two slices of whole-grain bread, deli turkey, mustard, lettuce, and tomato.

Healthy Snack Ideas

If you’re a snacker who likes to munch away during the workday, or while catching up on your favorite Netflix shows at night, we’ve got some healthy snacks that will satisfy those cravings while keeping it under 200 calories.

You can enjoy 3 whole cups of air-popped popcorn for only 100 calories, so feel free to add a little butter or olive oil to the bowl for the ultimate movie snack that still clocks in under 200 calories. If you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, dark chocolate is an excellent choice with 170 calories per 1 oz serving.

If you need a snack to fight the midday munchies you can eat while working, roll together 1 oz. of turkey and 1 oz. of cheese for a quick snack that’ll stay under 200 calories. If turkey and cheese aren’t your thing, pack yourself ¼ cup of hummus and half a whole-wheat pita.

Your Takeaway

Here at Snap Kitchen, we do all the calorie counting for you, while using only high-quality, clean ingredients and, of course, delicious flavors, because we know how hard it is to keep up with all the calories you’re eating in a day.

Whether you’re counting calories, points, or macros, or just in it for the tasty meals – Snap Kitchen has plenty of options that will help you hit your goals.

Browse our menu of healthy meal options today, and have them delivered fresh to your door!