Learning about the calories in foods and snacks your kids eat can help them make healthy choices and avoid high fat and high sugar foods and snacks that are also high in calories.
Calories in Kids' Food
In addition to vegetables and lean meats, kids commonly eat and get calories from many of these foods:
- Hot dog with bun (17g fat, 7g saturated fat, 1g trans fat) - 280 calories/serving
- Kraft Easy Mac Macaroni and Cheese (4g fat, 2.5g saturated fat) - 220 calories/serving
- Chef Boyardee Mini-Bites Mini Beef Ravioli & Meatballs (9g fat, 3.5g saturated fat) - 230 calories/serving
- Campbell's Spaghettios Sliced Franks (10g fat, 5g saturated fat, 5g fiber) - 115 calories/serving (there are 2 servings in a can though!)
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (18g fat, 3g saturated fat, 8g protein) - 380 calories/serving (with 2 slices of white bread)
- Tuna Fish Sandwich (3g fat, 0g saturated fat, 20g protein) - 230 calories/serving (with 2 slices of white bread)
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich (4.5g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 4g protein) - 190 calories/serving (with 2 slices of white bread and one slice Kraft 2% Milk Singles)
- Progresso Tomato Basil Soup (3g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 2g protein, 16g sugar) - 160 calories/serving (1 cup)
- Cambell's Chicken and Stars Soup (2g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 1g protein, 10g sugar) - 70 calories/serving (1/2 cup)
Remember to compare food labels and recipes to find foods that are low in saturated fat and high in fiber.
Calories in Snacks
Of course, the healthiest snacks are going to be whole fruits, which are often high in fiber and Vitamin C, low in fat, and have no added sugar.
- Apple (0g fat, 19g sugar, 4g fiber) - 95 calories/medium apple
- Banana (0g fat, 14g sugar, 3g fiber) - 105 calories/medium banana
- Grapes (0g fat, 23g sugar, 1g fiber) - 104 calories/1 cup grapes
- Raisins (2g fat, 1g saturated fat, 13g sugar) - 130 calories/4 oz serving
- Yogurt (0g fat, 29g sugar, 2g fiber) - 100 calories/serving
- Goldfish Baked Snack Crackers - (5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 19g sugar, 5g fiber) - 140 calories/serving (about 55 crackers)
- Quaker Oatmeal to Go (4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 19g sugar, 5g fiber) - 220 calories/serving
- Oreo Sandwich Cookie 2 Go Packs (6g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 23g sugar, 2g fiber) - 270 calories/serving
- Mini Oreo Bite Size Go-Pak (6g fat, 2g saturated fat, 11g sugar, 1g fiber) - 130 calories/9 cookies (there are 4 servings in the entire package though!)
- Nestle Classic Vanilla Caramel Drumstick (22g fat, 11g saturated fat, 29g sugar) - 360 calories/serving
- Sugar Free Popsicle (0g fat, 0g sugar) - 15 calories/popsicle
Calories in Drinks
Surprisingly, kids get a lot of extra calories from drinks.
Consider these different popular drinks that you may have in your home or that your child may drink on the go:
- 1% Milk (2.5g fat, 1.5g saturated fat) - 100 calories/8oz
- 2% Milk (5g fat, 3g saturated fat) - 120 calories/8oz
- Whole Milk (8g fat, 5g saturated fat) - 150 calories/8oz
- Juicy Juice Apple Juice (0g fat, 26g sugar) - 110 calories/8oz (100% juice)
- Minute Main Kids+ Orange Juice (0g fat, 24g sugar) - 110 calories/8oz (100% juice)
- SunnyD (0g fat, 29g sugar) - 120 calories/8oz (5% juice - high fructose corn syrup)
- Sunkist Orange Soda (0g fat, 35g sugar) - 130 calories/8oz (high fructose corn syrup)
- Coca Cola (0g fat, 26g sugar) - 100 calories/8oz (caffeine, high fructose corn syrup)
- Root Beer (0g fat, 31g sugar) - 120 calories/8oz (caffeine free, high fructose corn syrup)
- Sprite (0g fat, 20g sugar) - 70 calories/8oz (caffeine free, high fructose corn syrup)
- McDonald's Vanilla Triple Thick Shake (10g fat, 6g saturated fat, 54g sugar) - 420 calories/12oz
- Water (0g fat, 0g sugar) - 0 calories
By sticking to reduced fat (2% milk) or low fat milk, 100% fruit juice in limited amounts (4-6 ounces for children under age 6 and 8-12 ounces for older kids), and water, you can avoid a lot of extra sugar (high fructose corn syrup), calories, and caffeine from what your kids are drinking.
