Calorie King
CalorieKing is an online weight loss club and software developer with a program centred around healthy eating and exercise ("calories in, calories out"). The company offers products and services tailored specifically for the United States and Australian markets. As well as offering help for people who wish to lose weight, there are also programs and support for those who want to maintain their current weight, or to gain weight. The web sites' resources also include forums, and an extensive library of recipes and health and weight loss related articles contributed by company staff as well as other organisations and contributors.
Counting calories is a common yet frustrating method of food monitoring, but now dieters and anyone interested in being knowledgeable about what they eat can turn to a convenient online resource: the Calorie King.
About Calorie King
This innovative website was launched in 1996 to help promote food awareness rather than mindless dieting. The philosophical goal to “set the food record straight” combines the idea of straightforward information with tools for lifelong weight control through healthier, informed food decisions. By offering visitors a rich diet of updated information and interactive resources, the company strives to alter society’s perceptions of food and encourages improved eating habits that lead to healthier lifestyles instead of just a temporary diet plan.
In 2003, a three month intensive program – Calorie King University – was introduced to educate users about nutrition, weight management, and lifestyle changes to promote better health. In 2004, that educational option was followed by the Nutrition and Exercise Manager desktop software, giving users another convenient tool to track their progress. Today, the website offers a wide range of materials to help users discover the many options healthy eating habits can encompass, as well as providing constant updates and ongoing support as users work their way toward better food awareness.
Available Tools
There are many online tools available for users to track not only the number of calories in their favorite foods, but also to monitor their eating and related lifestyle habits. Popular website features include educational materials, interactive tools, and the ever-growing food database.
Educational Materials
A successful dieter is one who understands what foods meet their nutritional needs, who knows how diets do and don’t work, and who is willing to learn more about diet trends and fads before blindly signing up for restrictive meal plans or alternative treatments. Calorie King provides a startling array of educational materials to help users learn more about their diets, including:
- Informational articles about diet myths, nutrition, children’s and teens’ dietary needs, and motivational topics.
- Illustrated portion guides for popular foods that demonstrate the increase in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and proteins as portion sizes increase.
- Recipes for any meal or taste preference with an emphasis on nutritional awareness and balance.
Food Database
The food database is undeniably the most popular feature. This comprehensive guide has information on more than 55,000 food items, including brand name products, restaurant menus, fast food calories, and general types of food, from alcohol and soda to soups, chocolate, bread, tofu, fruits, chips, and more.
Categorized entries make both searching and browsing convenient, and each type of food offers average data as well as specific information on calories, carbohydrates, fat grams, sodium, protein, and other nutritional components. Visitors can increase the serving size for an instant appraisal relevant to their eating habits, and each entry’s calorie breakdown includes the percent of recommended daily values for further comparisons.
Interactive Options
Users can personalize their online experience by taking advantage of the interactive features, such as:
- Simple quizzes to gauge grocery shopping habits, emotional eating tendencies, types of dieters, a chocoholic predisposition, and more.
- Calculators to provide personalized body mass index and exercise target heart rate results, as well as to help users understand how exercising contributes to the calories burned from a meal, snack, or treat.
- Forums, blogs, and live chats for members to share their triumphs and setbacks, building a supportive community of like-minded individuals.
- Success stories with a wide range of weight loss totals and before-and-after pictures to encourage both current and new users.
Learning More
Visitors can learn even more about dieting and nutrition by becoming website members for a modest fee (access to informational articles, most interactive tools, and the comprehensive food database does not require membership). A free e-mail newsletter is also available, as well as various shopping options for related merchandise.
How Calorie King Can Help Dieters
Unlike many calorie-oriented websites, Calorie King is not about dieting or losing weight through counting calories. Instead, the website promotes intensive awareness about the properties of food to help users make informed decisions about their eating habits. Rather than promoting dieting as a temporary measure, dieting is viewed as a lifestyle habit that helps determine an individual’s health and wellness, both things that can be improved with the tools and information available.
- Calorie King is a useful informational website with an extensive database of food entries, nutrition articles, and other resources to help everyone gain better control of eating habits through the most effective diet tool possible: education. With many interactive features and support options, every dieter can find the tools to help them succeed.
The CalorieKing Program
If you're like everybody else, you've lost weight before. What most of us aren't so good at, though, is keeping the weight off over time. The CalorieKing Program is a step-by-step, well-guided but self-driven series of levels structured to build a foundation for successful, permanent weight loss. You'll be given the basic science, practical steps and behavioral changes you need to lose and manage your weight for a lifetime.
For more information, visit CalorieKing com.
Diabetic Diet Sample
The ideal diabetic meal will consist of a combination of foods. Some foods cross categories, like bread products that are high in fat, dairy items that provide protein, and starchy vegetables. Our needs will vary depending on the time of day and how much physical activity we engage in. Following is a sample diabetic diet meal :
- One serving of protein (3 oz of chicken, lean beef or fish)
- One serving of bread (whole grain roll, tortilla or ½ cup pasta)
- One serving of dairy (cheese, milk or low-fat sour cream)
- One serving vegetables (fist sized portion or a small bowl of salad)
- One serving fruit (tennis ball sized or ½ cup sliced)
Small amounts of unsaturated fats are needed, so add a little dressing or a pat of soft margarine. Avoid sweets; consider the fruit your dessert!
Foods that should be avoided include; fatty red meat, organ meat, highly processed food, fried food, fast food, high cholesterol food and foods rich in saturated fat.
Individuals learning the best way to control or prevent diabetes through proper eating can benefit from following a diabetic diet sample until they become comfortable creating their own menus and meal plans.
Eating to Control Diabetes
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may provide you with a specific, calorie restricted diabetic diet sample to follow. He or she may also recommend that you consult with a registered dietician, diabetes educator, or nutritionist to develop an optimal eating plan.
If your healthcare provider doesn't provide you with a specific plan, or if you are simply changing the way you eat to reduce your risk of developing diabetes, you may want to put together your own sample eating plan to guide you in meal preparation. Information about diabetic diets is widely available, so it isn't difficult to design your own diabetic diet sample.
A proper diabetic diet is high in fiber, low in sugar, and follows the Diabetes Food Pyramid developed by the American Diabetes Association
Creating a Diabetic Diet Sample
Diabetic diet plans often include three meals and two snacks every day. By looking at the serving allocations recommended by the Diabetic Food Pyramid, one can easily create a sample diet to follow.
Grains & Starches
- Recommendation: 6- 11 servings each day
- Plan 2 - 3 servings for each meal, and allow 1 serving for each snack.
- Note: Potatoes, peas, corn, winter squash, and other starchy vegetables go in this category, as do legumes.
Vegetables (Non-starchy)
- Recommendation: a minimum of 3-5 servings each day
- Eat 2 or more servings of vegetables with at least two meals each day.
- Note: It’s perfectly acceptable to eat more than 5 servings of non-starchy vegetables daily on a diabetic diet.
Fruit
- Recommendation: 2-4 servings each day
- Savor one or two servings of fruit at two daily meals or snacks.
- Note: Fruit are not a "free food" on a diabetic diet. Do not exceed the recommended quantities.
Dairy
- Recommendation: 2-3 servings daily.
- Enjoy one serving of reduced fat dairy products, such as yogurt and milk, with two to three meals or snacks each day.
- Note: It is always advisable to chose low fat and fat-free dairy options.
Meats or Meat Substitutes
- Recommendation: 4 - 6 ounces daily, divided among meals.
- Consume up to three ounces of meat at two meals every day.
- Note: Be sure to select only the leanest cuts of meat. Note that cheese falls under this category when planning meals for a diabetic diet.
Oils, Fats, Sweets
- Recommendation: Consume only in limited quantities.
- Save oils, fats, and sweets for special occasions and always enjoy in moderation.
- Note: When selecting oils for cooking , be sure to select heart-healthy varieties and avoid adding trans fats to your food.
Serving Sizes
In addition to focusing on how your food consumption is allocated among the different levels of the Diabetes Food Pyramid, it's also important to follow recommendations for serving sizes. Each item on the following lists represents one serving:
Grains and Starch Servings
- 1 slice of bread
- ¼ of a bagel (1 ounce)
- ½ an English muffin
- 1/2 of a pita bread
- one tortilla (6 inches)
- ¾ cup dry cereal
- ½ cup cooked cereal
- ½ cup starch vegetable (beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, peas)
- 1 cup winter squash (acorn, butternut, etc.)
- 1/3 cup of cooked rice
- 1/3 cup of cooked pasta
Vegetable Servings
- 1 cup of any raw vegetable (non-starchy)
- 1/2 cup of any cooked vegetable (non-starchy)
Dairy Servings
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 cup fat free, skim, or low fat milk
Meat & Meat Substitute Servings
- a three ounce serving of lean meat is approximately the same size as a deck of playing cards
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup tofu
Oils, Fats, Sweets
- 1/2 cup of ice cream
- 1 cupcake
- 2 small cookies
Following the Plan
By adapting your eating habits to follow the principles of the Diabetic Food Pyramid, you'll be on your way to improved health. Whether you have to change the way you eat to keep diagnosed diabetes under control, or you're just looking for a healthier way to eat, following a diabetic diet can have a positive impact on your overall health and well being..