Counting calories – how to calculate a meal

1. Find the kcal value on the label

EU nutrition labels give energy per 100 grams or 100 millilitres. A label may also show the manufacturer’s serving. Use the kcal figure when logging kilocalories. [1]

2. Measure your own portion

Weigh what you eat in grams when the label is per 100 grams. Use millilitres when it is per 100 millilitres. The manufacturer’s suggested serving may differ from yours.

3. Multiply by your portion size

The same calculation works for millilitres when both the nutrition value and portion use millilitres.

4. Add up the ingredients in homemade meals

Calculate the calories of each part of the meal and add them together. Include the oil, sauces and sides you eat. If a whole dish contains 1,600 kcal and you divide it into four equal portions with the same composition, each portion contains 400 kcal.

5. Match the preparation state

Raw, dry and cooked foods are not equivalent gram for gram. Do not combine cooked pasta weight with dry pasta nutrition values. Also check whether the label describes the product as sold or prepared according to its instructions. Preparation changes a food’s weight and composition, so the database entry should match the food you weigh. [2]

When there is no food label

You can look up a matching food in the Fineli database. Database values describe average composition and can differ from your particular product. Use the product’s own nutrition label when available. [3]

Log an estimate you can check

With Calotank’s free essentials, you can enter meal calories yourself. Optional Premium photo and text estimates are estimates: check the food and portion size and correct the result before saving.

Want to estimate daily energy needs? Open the calorie calculator.