When you’re planning your meals, there are all sorts of things you need to think about. Food groups, portion sizes, nutrients, variety, flavor. One thing that can be hard to lose track of is calories. Now, there’s no need to count every single calorie you consume, but it can be useful to have a good idea of your typical energy intake.
To help you know how many calories you are eating, we’ve compiled a chart detailing the calorie content of various foods.
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Fruits
- Fruit Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g
- Apple | 43
- Apricot | 31
- Avocado | 171
- Banana | 81
- Blackberries | 21
- Cherries | 63
- Clementines | 41
- Coconut (fresh) | 351
- Cranberries | 15
- Cucumber | 14
- Dates (dried) | 235
- Figs (fresh) | 43
- Grapefruit | 34
- Kiwi | 32
- Lemon | 19
- Lime | 9
- Lychee | 58
- Mango | 48
Vegetables
- Vegetable calories chart: | Kcal per 100g
- Acorn squash | 40
- Artichoke | 18
- Asparagus | 25
- Beetroot | 36
- Broccoli | 34
- Brussels sprout | 42
- Butternut squash | 36
- Cabbage | 27
- Carrot | 34
- Cauliflower | 30
- Celery | 9
- Chicory | 11
- Corn | 54
- Edamame | 155
- Green beans | 24
- Iceberg lettuce | 14
- Kale | 39
- Leek | 23
- Mushroom | 7
- Onion | 35
- Peas | 70
- Peppers (Red) | 21
- Potato | 77
- Pumpkin | 13
- Radish | 12
- Romaine Lettuce | 17
- Spinach | 25
- Bean Sprouts | 31
- Turnips | 23
- Yam | 114
- Zucchini | 16
Grains and Pulses
- Grains and Pulses Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g (cooked unless otherwise noted)
- Adzuki beans | 146
- Amaranth (dried) | 359
- Barley (dried) | 310
- Beluga lentils | 94
- Black beans | 120
- Black eyed peas | 110
- Brown lentils | 105
- Brown rice | 132
- Buckwheat | 75
- Bulgur | 85
- Chickpeas | 128
- Corn | 54
- Green lentils | 105
- Green peas | 70
- Green split peas | 122
- Large fava beans | 124
- Millet | 199
- Oats (rolled) | 381
- Pinto beans | 137
- Quinoa | 111
- Red kidney beans | 105
- Red split lentils | 100
- White rice | 131
- Wild rice | 150
Meat
- Meats Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g
- Bacon (pork) | 287
- Beef mince (lean) | 169
- Chicken breast | 106
- Chicken wings | 110
- Chicken thighs | 158
- Duck breast | 165
- Escargots | 90>
- Lamb steak | 155
- Lamb's liver | 137
- Sausage (chicken) | 175
- Sausage (turkey) | 167
- Sausage (pork) | 301
- Quail eggs | 158
- Turkey (dark meat) | 184
- Turkey (white meat) | 104
- Venison | 103
Fish
- Fish Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g
- Ahi tuna | 120
- Albacore | 128
- Catfish | 95
- Cod | 80
- Crab | 155
- Eel | 184
- Flounder | 91
- Haddock | 75
- Herring | 200
- Lobster | 103
- Mussels | 104
- Oysters | 65
- Salmon | 230
- Scallops | 118
- Sea bass | 161
- Shrimp | 106
- Smelt | 97
- Squid | 81
- Tilapia | 96
- Trout | 148
- Whitefish | 134
- Yellowfin tuna | 131
Dairy and Eggs
- Dairy and Egg Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g, or Kcal per 100ml liquid
- Butter | 744
- Buttermilk (1%) | 41
- Cheddar cheese | 416
- Cottage cheese (1%) | 103
- Cream (heavy) | 458
- Cream cheese | 252
- Evaporated milk | 166
- Ghee | 878
- Goats Milk | 61
- Ice cream (vanilla) | 189
- Kefir | 56
- Ricotta cheese | 144
- Skim milk | 34
- Soured cream | 192
- Soy milk | 33
- Swiss cheese | 380
- Yogurt, whole milk | 61
- Yogurt, low fat | 57
- Whole milk | 63
Carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates Foods Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g
- Bread white | 275
- Bread whole wheat | 217
- Corn tortilla | 218
- English muffin | 235
- Flour tortilla | 312
- Pasta white | 353
- Pasta whole wheat | 266
- Quinoa boiled | 111
- Rice brown | 131
- Rice white | 117
Cooking Oils
- Cooking Oils Calories Chart | Kcal per 100g
- Avocado oil | 883
- Canola oil | 883
- Coconut oil | 899
- Corn oil | 829
- Olive oil | 823
- Peanut oil | 821
- Rapeseed oil | 826
- Soybean oil | 883
- Sunflower oil | 827
Soft Drinks
- Soft Drinks Calories Chart | Kcal per 100ml
- Carbonated Cola | 37
- Coffee, black | 2
- Diet Cola | 0
- Apple Juice (100%) | 49
- Ginger ale | 34
- Hot Cocoa | 81
- Hot Tea | 2
- Iced Tea (no sugar) | 1
- Lemonade | 25
- Sweet Iced Tea | 18
- Tonic Water | 35
Alcoholic Beverages
- Alcohol Calories Chart | Kcal per 100 ml
- Champagne | 76
- Cider | 36
- Lager | 29
- Pilsner | 44
- Porter | 45
- Rum | 217
- Stout | 50
- Vodka | 217
- Whiskey | 217
- Wine | 76
Recipes for building muscle and weight gain
If you want to put on muscle or gain some weight, you’ll need to consume more calories than what’s known as your “maintenance”, which is the amount you need to stay at the same weight.
Chicken Curry Gyros
Seriously satisfying feel-good food, this Indian twist on a Greek classic has 541kcal and 40g of protein per serving.
Chicken & Bacon Bulking Salad
This recipe was made for weight gain with a whopping 1361kcal and 95g of protein.
One-Pan Creamy Mushroom & Chicken
This delicious dish has everything you want to smash those fitness goals. Just thinking about it is enough to make your mouth water. 520 calories and 52g of protein per serving.
Vegan Meatball Sub
A deliciously rich and “meaty” sub, perfect for a filling post-workout meal. 489kcal and 29g of protein per serving.
Recipes for weight loss
And the opposite is true if you want to reduce body fat: eat fewer calories than your maintenance. This can be tricky, so here are some filling, nutritious meals to help you on the way to sustainable weight loss.
Low-Carb High-Protein Breakfast Cups
This savory breakfast is easy to make and is a great way to get your veggies in. 216kcal and 22g of protein per serve.
One-Pan Halloumi and Harissa Bake
Another delicious, easy-to-make meal that’s low on calories. And the best thing is there’s hardly any washing up. 409kcal and 16g of protein per serving.
Cold Peanut Noodle Salad
If you want a low-calorie lunch that’s big on flavor, fix up a bowl of these easy vegan noodles. 176kcal and 10g of protein per serving, but if you want to up the protein content, add some tofu.
Salt and Pepper Chicken
A Friday night fave, no doubt. Delicious, filling, and packed with nutrition. 350kcal and 41g of protein per serving.
FAQ's
What food is the highest in calories?
Cooking oils tend to have the most calories, typically around 800 per 100ml.
How many calories should each meal contain?
Generally, women need to consume around 2,000 calories per day, and men 2,500, but this will depend on factors like height, weight, lifestyle, activity levels, and health status.
For someone eating 2,000 calories per day, the energy quantity of each meal could look like this: breakfast, 400kcal; lunch, 600kcal; dinner, 600kcal; snacks and drinks, 400kcal.
Of course, it’s unrealistic to rigidly follow the same calorie split every day. But it is good to have a sense of how much energy each of your daily meals contains.
What are the healthiest calories to eat?
There’s no such thing as a “healthy” or “unhealthy” calorie. All calories are the same, no matter where they come from.
Some foods are obviously more nutritious than others, while some other foods may be particularly calorie-dense. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat high-calorie foods — it’s just about not eating too much too often.
Take home message
There’s no need to obsess over calories, but it is good to have a general sense of how many are in the foods you eat. This way, you can have a better understanding of your energy needs and how much and what you should eat to meet them, and enjoy eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Want some more advice on your nutrition?
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Claire is a registered dietitian and a certified health and wellness coach. She holds a master's degree in Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh. With a strong background in both nutrition and coaching, Claire is passionate about using her expertise to help others achieve their health goals. In addition to her professional work, she is a certified indoor cycling instructor who enjoys running and yoga. When she’s not keeping active, she loves to cook for her family and cheer on her favourite sports teams from her hometown of Pittsburgh.
References
All data is from Calorie checker – NHS (www.nhs.uk).
