Keeping Calories in Perspective

We were at my mom's the other night, discussing frozen dinners. She had Trader Joe's chicken quesadillas in the freezer door. I commented on how this was a great option for her. My mom lives by herself, and cooking  well rounded meals is not always a priority.

At 320 calories, each quesadilla is practically a balanced meal in itself, with protein, veggies & dairy all represented. My mom then made the comment that she doesn't like them b/c of how high calorie they are. I was shocked. Do people think that a 320 calorie dinner is heavy? Quite honestly, if I was eating 320 calorie dinners, I would lose weight. Let's take a moment to  put this in perspective.

For the average person who maintains an active lifestyle(which we should ALL be doing), consuming somewhere b/t 1700-2000 calories per day is a realistic total. If you are someone who basically eats 3 meals a day, you want your meals to be somewhere b/t 500-650 calories, and to include all of the major food groups. This approach, however, applies to those who don't snack in between meals. And one thing I have learned over the years is that people like to snack. So if your meals are somewhere b/t 300-400 calories, and then you add in 2 or 3 healthy 100-200 calorie snacks, you will be in great shape. But let's be clear: 320 calories for a meal is relatively light!

I don't think most  people realize how many calories they consume when going out to dinner. Between the bread, wine, the appetizer salad, the main course, and maybe just a bite of desert, that meal can EASILY add up to 800-1000 calories. And you may not even feel full.

I'm not necessarily trying to change people's bahavior, rather, I'm trying to point out how easily calories add up. So when you encounter a nice, compact 320 calorie meal, eat up!

-J