What does 200 calories worth of food look like? The website Wisegeek conducted a study of 71 different edibles to find out. They proportioned things like peanut butter, canned beans, fruits, veggies, and even soda into 200 calorie quantities and photographed the results. It’s surprising to see what this actually looks like when on a plate.
Some foods, like candy, are high in calories compared to their size. You couldn’t have that many jelly beans if you were trying to stay under the 200 mark, but you could easily eat a plateful of broccoli.
Seeing these differences is eye-opening; perhaps it will make you reconsider the next time you’re craving a sugary snack. If we think of calories like currency, the choice should be easy. L.S. Wynn, an author in the study, writes, “According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average adult needs to consume about 2000 – 2500 Calories to maintain their weight. In other words, you have a fixed amount of Calories to ‘spend’ each day; based on the following pictures, which would you eat?”
Broccoli: 588 grams or 20.74oz = 200 Calories
Jelly Belly Brand Jelly Beans: 54 grams or 1.90oz (50 pieces) = 200 Calories
Apples: 385 grams or 13.58oz = 200 Calories
Glazed Donut: 52 grams or 1.83oz (86% of one serving) = 200 Calories
Coca Cola: 496 ml or 17.50oz = 200 Calories
Sliced Smoked Turkey: 204 grams or 7.20oz (24 slices) = 200 Calories
Peanut Butter: 34 grams or 1.20oz = 200 Calories
Sliced and Toasted Almonds: 35 grams or 1.23oz = 200 Calories
Canned Pork and Beans: 186 grams or 6.56oz = 200 Calories
Mini Peppers: 740 grams or 26.10oz = 200 Calories