According to statistics in Western countries, the average number of meals per person per day increased from 3.9 times in the late 1970s to 5.6 times in the 2010s. If earlier snacks were typical for 60% of respondents, now 96% of people consume snacks daily (often repeatedly).
200 kcal is the size of a typical snack. But this number of calories can include a different amount of food – in particular, a large amount of vegetables and very little oil. In the material below, we will show examples of how these same calories look in the form of different foods.
Is 200kcal a lot or not that much?
The feeling of fullness experienced after eating is not related to its calorie content at all – but to the actual volume. The stomach forms the primary feeling of satiety on the basis of mechanoreceptors, which determine the degree of its stretching.
In turn, the energy density of food (that is, the content of kcal per gram) depends on the amount of water in the product. For example, vegetables have a low energy density, since about 80% of their composition is liquid.
Since 1 g of fat has twice the calories of 1 g of protein or 1 g of carbohydrates (and water contains no calories at all), fat-containing foods have a markedly higher calorie content. For this reason, the volume of products with fat is less than the volume of products with carbohydrates or proteins.
How many calories do you need per day?
Most often women with average body weight (as well as men with low weight) need about 2000 kcal per day. Men of average weight (as well as some women) may need up to 2500 kcal per day and more.
A more accurate figure should be clarified with a specialist. We also would like to note that a sharp and significant reduction in the caloric content of the diet (especially to such small numbers as 200 kcal) can lead to extremely deplorable health consequences.
How much is 200 kcal – examples
The diameter of the plate in the photo is 26 cm. Note that the indicated number of products is approximate – and their actual calorie content may vary between 200 ± 50 kcal:
1. Celery – 1425g
2. Broccoli – 590g
3. Baby carrots – 570g
4. Apples – 385g
5. Kiwi – 325g
6. Avocado – 125g
7. Unsweetened melon – 550g
8. Grapes – 290g
9. Dried fruits – 83g
10. Pasta – 145g (after cooking)
11. Sausages – 66g
12. Turkey ham – 204g
13. Eggs – 150g
14. French fries – 73g
15. Potato chips – 37g
16. Whole grain bread – 90g
17. Donut with icing – 52g
18. Muffin – 72g
19. Cereal – 51g
20. Candies – 50g
21. Gummy bears – 50g
22. M&M’s – 54g
23. Chocolate bar – 41g
24. Peanut butter – 34g
25. Butter – 28g
26. Nuts – 33g
27. Chocolate – 36g
28. Cheese – 51g
29. Whole milk – 330ml
30. Carbonated drinks – 500ml
200 kcal is the size of a typical snack. But this number of calories can include a different amount of food – in particular, a large amount of vegetables and very little oil. However, the feeling of fullness of the stomach is largely formed precisely due to the physical volume of food.