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Test Your Calorie IQ

Looking to cut a few calories? Well this is the place to test your calorie IQ. Choose the answer with the least amount of calories. Be sure to keep track of how many you get wrong and right. The answers are at the bottom, but don't cheat!

Breakfast:
A). 1 commercially prepared muffin
B). Scrambled egg with 2 slices of light Canadian bacon

Lunch:
A). Ham sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato and mustard
B). Chicken salad on a croissant

Snack:
A). Fruit Smoothie
B). ½ cup of Rainbow Sherbet

Dinner:
A). 2 Slices of Cheese Pizza
B). Fettuccine Alfredo

Dessert:
A). Pound Cake
B). Angel Food Cake

Score: (see below for answers)

Breakfast:
You may be surprised to find that the answer is the scrambled egg and bacon breakfast at 134 calories (versus the 187 calories in the muffin). This breakfast provides "more bang for your buck," so to speak. You get less calories but more protein and other important vitamins and minerals from the egg. Many muffins that you typically find at the store and in restaurants are high in sugar and provide a lot of calories due to the size. Total calories saved: 53

Lunch:
Ham SandwichIf you picked the ham sandwich with lettuce and tomato, you saved yourself some calories, plus you gained more fiber (from the whole wheat bread), and vitamins and minerals from the lettuce and tomato. Usually, croissants are also higher in fat. Although chicken is usually thought of as being leaner than other meat products, you should always be aware of how the chicken is prepared. In this case the chicken salad has been made with mayonnaise, which significantly increases the fat and calorie content. Total calories saved: 24

Snack:
You thought that the word fruit meant it was healthy, right? Wrong. The average fruit smoothie contains 390 calories versus the 120 calories in half a cup of rainbow sherbet. Even with a full cup you still save calories. This is an example of where it really pays to read the nutrition label. Total calories saved: 270

Dinner:
Did the thought of pizza scare you away? Well, in this case it shouldn't. We're not talking extra cheese, extra toppings and extra large slices - just two small pieces of cheese pizza at 376 calories. And although pasta can be low in fat and calories, again - be wary of what you put on it. Go light on the cream sauces, such as Alfredo (450 calories per serving). Instead, think red, such as marinara. Total calories saved: 74

Dessert:
Not all cakes are created equal and they don't call it a "pound" cake for nothing. If you picked the angel food cake you saved yourself several calories and grams of fat. Pound cake has approximately 200 calories versus the 161 calories found in the angel food cake. There's also nine grams of fat in the pound cake compared with the virtually fat-free angel food cake. Total calories saved: 39

Total calories saved throughout the day: 460 calories.

Thirsty? Remember, that diet soda, sugar-free teas, sugar-free lemonade and, of course, water, have zero or very few calories.

Since just 500 less calories per day over the course of a week typically results in a one pound weight loss, you're well on your way to a slimmer summer. Just throw in some exercise during the day and you'll be able to reach your goal. As you can see from the examples above, CALORIES COUNT!

Back to Spring into Summer - the Healthy Weigh!

Last Updated 5/2004
Copyright © 2007 Calorie Control Council

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