Meal Calorie Counter

How meal calorie counting works:

Every food has a calorie density: the number of calories per gram, or per standard serving. By adding up the calories from each food item in your meal, you get the total meal calories.

The formula:

Meal Calories = Sum of (Each food item × Servings × Calories per serving)

Common food calorie reference (per standard serving):

Worked example, a sandwich lunch:

Using the six inputs this calculator has, and the values it uses for them:

• 2 slices white bread: 2 × 79 = 158 cal
• 1 portion (100g) chicken: 200 cal
• 1 slice cheddar: 113 cal
• 1 tbsp butter: 110 cal
• Total: 581 calories

Two of those figures are averages, and the calculator says so in its result. The meat input uses 200 cal per 100g, sitting between chicken breast at 165 and lean ground beef at 250, so a chicken sandwich comes out about 35 calories high and a beef one about 50 low. The oil and butter input uses 110 per tablespoon, between butter at 102 and olive oil at 119.

If you want the apple and the glass of milk from the table above, add them yourself: 95 and 149, for 825 in total. The calculator covers the six things that dominate most meals rather than trying to be a food database.

Portion size is everything: A “cup of rice” at home might be 200g, not the standard 158g. Restaurant portions are often 2–3× a standard serving. When in doubt, weigh your food. A $10 kitchen scale is the most accurate calorie counting tool there is.

This calculator vs the TDEE calculator: This page counts calories in your food (what goes in). The Calorie Calculator (TDEE) on our site calculates calories your body burns (what goes out). Use both together: if food calories are less than TDEE, you lose weight.