Nutrition Expert
Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, CDE, is nutrition manager at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center. She has 14 years of experience as a registered dietitian and has dedicated her career to the prevention of chronic diseases through diet and weight management. Elisabetta is also a certified diabetes educator and a past president of the Durham–Chapel Hill chapter of the American Dietetic Association. As the Duke Diet & Fitness Online nutrition expert, she provides information and answers members' questions about food choices and meal planning.
How can I keep tabs on my daily calorie intake?
—Jon S., Seymour, INAnswer:
You can monitor your daily caloric intake by estimating the calories in the foods you eat. The Nutrition Facts panel on food labels will tell you how many calories are in a serving of a particular food — as well as the size of the serving, which you can then measure out. If you buy fresh food such as chicken or fish, you can measure it on a scale after it's cooked (it's the cooked portion that matters, since that's what you eat). Or you can compare portion sizes to objects that you are familiar with. For example, 3 ounces of meat or fish is the same size as a deck of playing cards.
We recommend that people who want to lose weight eat fewer calories than they expend and that they monitor their caloric intake. If you join the Duke Diet & Fitness Online program, we will help you determine the calorie level that is best for you based on your weight and activity level.
Perhaps the simplest way to see whether you're meeting your calorie goals is to use the Food Log tool that we provide as part of the Duke Diet & Fitness Online program. With a few clicks, you record what you eat, and we add up the calories for you and let you know how many you have left to enjoy for the rest of the day.
Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, CDE