Friday, December 5, 2014

What 200 Calories Look Like and Why You Should Care


Obesity is a serious problem. We often eat food that's bad for us, packed with fat and sugar. Even though we eat too much, we still don't get enough of important nutrients that our body needs to function properly. The average person's diet today consist of either canned food or fast food, due to their promise of 'tasty and convenient' food. So we buy this garbage over and over again, even if we know it's no good. But do we really know the extent of damage caused by these bad habits?



Jamie Oliver said that this behavior can reduce the average life span of children today by as much as 10 years. In the same TED talk, he also said that diet-related disease kills more people than homicide in America today.

Adults (19-50 years old) need around 2000-2800 calories per day. People in developed economies consume way more than that on a daily basis, with Americans eating 34% - 89% more that what's required. This habit is causing of widespread obesity around the world, and it has to be stopped. 

Here's one enemy we need to avoid - calories:

Infographic Credit: http://www.evoke.ie/category/health/

So, why don't you make good use of your time and read about the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate. Start living a healthier lifestyle. 

Don't forget to share this insightful infographic with your friends!

This post is part of a series on Essential Infographics For Serious Foodies.

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Cheers, 
Chef Jay

39 comments:

  1. Yes, obesity is the world's biggest problem right now. People just doesn't realize how badly our health has declined in the past 20-30 years and how our lives spans has been cut shorter. That is a great infographic but I think we need to emphasize and educate people that not all carbs are bad and our body still needs carbs. The problem is: what kind of carbs are we feeding ourselves? Simple carbs turns to sugar while complex carbs actually helps regulate our metabolism :)

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    1. I totally agree! People are obsessed with carbs and fats that they don't know they should really watch calories instead. Of course, a balanced diet and regular exercise should be the priority.

      Imagine, juice drinks usually have 150-220 calories. Absurd!

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  2. Oh and one more thing, I honestly think sugar is much much worse. We have become so addicted to sugar it is crazy. Have you seen the documentary Fed Up?

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    1. Not yet, but I do love Jamie Oliver's TED talk about food education and the 'addiction to sugar'. You can check it out here: http://www.chefjayskitchen.com/2014/11/jamie-oliver-importance-of-food.html

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    2. plus sugar is usually (unscrupulously) included in many "diet-friendly" foods to trick people into thinking that they're eating healthy.

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  3. Excellent infographic! It really hits home how many calories are in some of our favourite treats! Eeek!

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  4. A really interesting post! Totally spurring me on on my weight loss journey for sure. It totally amazes me what constitutes as 200 calories. I do love a beer or two and I was shocked to learn each pint is over 200 calories -when I can easily drink 10 pints, that's my whole daily food intake! Shocking!

    Sim @ simslife.co.uk
    #WeightLossWednesday

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    1. Interesting right? As long as you burn it with the right amount of exercise, then it shouldn't be a problem! :)

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  5. Yes I truly agree with healthy eating and at the same time, fitness program. Healthy eating is very good for men and women.

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    1. Yeah, you really need to watch what you eat to make sure that you get the right amount of nutrition and avoid bad calories!

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  6. i always have the perception that wines are less fattening (in terms of caloric content) than beer! how wrong i was! but then again, wines has better health benefits than beer, no? thanks for sharing these useful information! well actually in asia (or maybe the part of asia i'm in), we're more obsessed with dieting, gymming and counting calories (plus eating clean and detox) than to binge on carbs and sugars.

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    1. Yeah, wine is healthier. So it's still better to drink wine than beer. I guess the message shiuld be to limit your intake of it, rather than avoid it completely!

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  7. Very interesting.. Now i have clearer view on what 200 calories look like! :) It's good to keep track on what we ate..

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    1. Glad you found it interesting, hope you are going to be more aware moving forward!

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  8. You can actually eat a lot more if you get the right food. I'm taking note of the food group that would b=give mo more nutrients with less calories.

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    1. That's very true, imagine the amount of vegetables you can eat versus gummy bears!

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  9. Most of the posts I read nowadays are about food and keeping fit and healthy.I admit that I don't eat healthy food and I lack exercise. it's time for a change. Learned so much from the infographic.

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    1. Goodluck on living a healthier lifestyle! Again, moderation is key!

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  10. I remember when I was younger, this kind of infographic has been talked about but people don't really pay much attention before. Now that everyone is health conscious, I'm glad a lot especially mothers, are paying attention to the food they personally or their family eats.

    Proper exercise and these fitness activities (yoga, gym, etc) won't mean a thing if you're not careful of what you eat. So this post is very important.

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    1. Glad you think so. Totally agree with you, people need to be more aware of this. Don't forget to share the infographic!

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  11. I should borrow someone else's baby to lose weight! Just kidding. Nice infographic on calories. Would easily want to share this :)

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    1. Haha. You can do that. Or you can start jogging. Whatever makes you happy! :)

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  12. No I am not obese but the info here is very beneficial to my health condition at present. Bookmark this one.

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  13. i love reading things like this. it definitely opens my eyes

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  14. Excellent summary in an infographic. I confess I do not really count my calories since weight hasn't been a problem growing up. But now getting older, I can see that I should already be more conscious about this.

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    1. You really should Fred. Maybe a balanced diet is more important. You can just as easily gain weight by consuming 1000 calories of junk food.

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  15. That infographic is an eye opener. It's so scary that we can pack on the pounds eating so many calories. The bigger nightmare is losing the weight.

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  16. Thanks for sharing. It's really important to eat healthy and avoid all those junk foods.

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  17. Wow! This is very informative! An eye opener to everyone, especially to me!

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  18. Ahaha~ Epic! Kissing! lol

    Well, this is a good health and wellness post. Would take note of those facts/information! USA has highest intake per capita? Tsk tsk tsk

    I have moderate intake of calories, but still I might not have burned much of em every day. I have to be back on the road running, or on the court to play. Another one good reminder to take care of my health.

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    1. Yeah, it doesn't only feed good but it also helps you lose weight! You should go back to running, it's a lot of fun to jog around.

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  19. Wow! Thanks for the Info :) Love your blog!

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  20. This is a very rich blog. Thanks for all the valuable information you share.

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