How to count calories in Indian food

No word evokes more horror, confusion, and downright despair in the context of food than “Calorie”. For starters, a calorie is not the same as a Calorie. Yes, you read that right. In a long list of terrible naming choices that scientists have made in their history, using a smaller case version of the word to denote a 1000th of Calorie (upper case) is likely at the top of the list. Nowadays, Europeans use kcal (kilocalories) while Americans use Calories.
And if semantic confusion wasn’t enough, literally all calorie counts on products are inaccurate by at least 20-30%. And to make things worse, calorie counts for Indian food are notoriously hard because of how we prepare our food.
So I’ve collaborated with Raj (from the @thequad.in) to demystify calories and give you a simple, visual heuristic to approximately figure out how much you are eating. Accuracy is not the goal (because accuracy is pretty much impossible) but consistency and ease of use are. Can you look at your meal plate and get a rough sense of how much you are eating so that you can make sensible choices about how to reduce or increase it based on what your goals are.
If we have missed out on any dishes you’d want to be measured, leave a comment and we will update the caption

[@Coo-]

You're only one of the few youtubers especially from India who explained this really well 🎉🎉

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@gautampatil1680]

Does anyone have link of protein count video

[@taniy_a]

​@@krishashokwhy is the unit kcal?😮

[@krishashok]

@@taniy_a This is unfortunately due to some poor naming back in the day. Calorie with capital C was kcal while calorie was small c was the basic unit

[@KaushikDatye]

I had the same question, thank you for asking and answering, both of you.

[@majormajor7925]

This was a really informative video. Very helpful for calculating our daily calorie intake.

[@gopsln]

Excellent points well made and a simple take away! Specifically the subtle touch on the transformation of proteins, fats and carbs under the cooking techniques, added ingredients and one's own gut flora is simply mind boggling.

[@leenapatel1674]

You're doing great work. Much appreciated

[@Purnima2014]

Excellent explanation!!! You have made the facts known correctly..Extremely Grateful...

[@Constanoobie]

Thanks for the video krish. It was getting tough tracking my calories and i was yoyoing in my diet a lot hitting a weight loss plateau. My weight loss goal will be a tad bit easier with this information

[@thecomment9489]

Useful Info specially in the Indian context and the foods we eat. Many thanks.

[@UmeshPathak0911]

Hello sir, great videos. Could also share your thoughts on different kinds of oils? Which ones are healthy

[@Macorelppa]

This is the only video on this channel that made me subscribe.

[@Jmnsj2214]

Its a very straight forward approach.. thank you.. And also how about micro nutrients and other essential amino acids which are a " must " has to be taken into account.. I understand rice contains more of these elements than other staples..?

[@ajayn7572]

Thanks a clear and detailed video

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@shashikiran5148]

SUPER Explanation 👌

[@lakshmanladi]

Nice Information...in fact nice facts are revealed in every video. voice, accent and back ground music are too good❤

[@krishashok]

Thank you so much 😀

[@jayshreebakhda2979]

Love your videos ❤

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@swapmis1084]

As I am starting to count my calories, I have found this very useful. Thanks a lot for creating very useful and interesting content 🙌

[@krishashok]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Macorelppa]

Wow learnt a lot I love you

[@leekshikapinnamneni4835]

How about Hmong dal pancake? Pesarattu? I heard that is a healthier option than dosa. It has a higher protein and fiber content. I’m sure I exclude other regional dishes as well but that’s why it’s so hard to count calories in Indian food because there are a lot of variables. Is the curry cream best or tomato-based? Maybe it’s tamarind-based. Is Jagger used or not? Spices have hardly any calories and it’s just so tricky. I know this for sure because I grew up in the United States and still live here and I couldn’t find proper nutrition data when I was doing the research project in high school. We had to guess everything because it was nearly impossible defined nutritional data on Indian food.

[@bitsa94]

Hey Krish I think you left out an important point towards the end - folks need to balance calorie counting with other considerations eg how much protein does your body need, do you measure on a meal by meal/ daily/ weekly average basis etc. Loving the new content push, thank you!

[@krishashok]

Absolutely. This video was purely focused on counting calories

[@ankurbhatia9397]

can you write short article and covr main points including rough count shared in video for different daily items

[@keithchuaga8824]

One of the best nutrition videos. Great stuff. It was if you're counting calories you don't need a milk shake 😂😂😂

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@ayangangopadhyay8775]

Great video. Really insightful. Have one doubt, when you say a cup..what is the approx measure of that as cups can come in various size. Helpful if you can share this.

[@tejalp2321]

Go according to standard baking measurement cups and spoons. 1 cup = 240 ml or g approx.

[@zer00TD]

thnx krish

[@karankhiara1812]

Any videos you have (here or on Instagram) specifically on the amount of protein we need? For regular people vs people who lift weights and the like? Trying to get my family to eat more protein :)

[@krishashok]

Will post

[@kailashpaste6870]

You are best KZbinr @Krishashok. In my view this channel is most underated. Content your presentation is at Best. Thanks a lot.

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@Tithimamma.2024]

Very very useful...

[@ravish05]

Thank you Krish. Is it possible to get these numbers as a cheat sheet?

[@namankalia951]

Can you also tell me about the macros of these items especially protein

[@athulya4147]

I'm crushing on Krish. Smart, cute, energetic, well-spoken, great smile.. 😍

[@muralidharanmahalingam9972]

Mee too. I too have a crush on Krish Ashok !

[@mridulsingh5790]

Us 🗿👌🏼

[@SUPER-SAIYAN-GOD.]

Lol singles

[@nikhilakr1671]

😜🙌💯

[@ashasrinivasan5341]

Meanwhile, Krish is turning beetroot 😂

[@keerthidharj1074]

Hey Krish! I started following your content recently. Very well explained and researched. Thank you so much for that. For this particular video, I must say I am a bit disappointed. Instead of talking in rough numbers you could have easily chosen the weight of the food item vs calories comparison. Though this is good enough for the beginners, I think that would rule out a lot of myths and make the content accurate which you usually do in other topics. As you know the size of a fist, a bowl, 1 dosa, 1 idly etc everything are subjective and only approximated. Instead talk in terms of gms of a food quantity measured raw and that would make it perfect and easy. Thank you

[@krishashok]

I think you missed the point of the video. Trying to be overprecise is impractical and unsustainable for most average people. That's why we decided to go with simple heuristics like fist etc. The idea here is that consistency of applying that heuristic is more useful than individual precision because the whole idea is to reduce (or increase) caloric intake based on what your goals are. All you need to know is if you are broadly consuming less than yesterday or last week.

[@keerthidharj1074]

@@krishashok yes I did understand that. You could have mentioned that 1gm or some food has x calories, because from what I noticed people are not aware of that. I myself didn't know until the last couple of years.

[@reneeel786]

Your fermentation video was sooo informative. I have a doubt..will the good bacteria die when we use the fermented batter to make idli or dosa?

[@krishashok]

Yes they will die!

[@reneeel786]

@@krishashok thank you!

[@parveenh.m524]

Thanks!

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@kalyanishridhar2184]

Reading nutrition labels is important especially for diabetics. I measure before cooking e.g. I cup of dry moong dal is around has 60 gms , 15 fibre, the cooked content can be 10 servings (1 serving is 6 gms. It helps to keep track of carbs. For a diabetic this is key to know how much carb you can tolerate for one meal based on bs readings. This might still be an estimate but it works well. So when I eat the same thing at a restaurant I cut portions if there are other carbs on the plate. Otherwise we have to rely on multiple drugs and severe complications.

[@kamalpandey1047]

Is catori is equal to cup Or smaller or larger than this

[@ranaanees4827]

Hi, What if I count total calories of all the raw ingredients (meat, vegeies, legumes, oil etc) that I use to make a dish. And suppose the total number is 1000Cal. Then, as I understand, the maximum amount of Calories that I could absorb from the dish would always be below 1000! Do you agree?

[@beawaretuber7454]

Please make similar video on carbs, protein, fats....

[@krishashok]

WIll do

[@Rhyu1x_]

What is the quantity of the "1 cup" you were showing in most of the food items?

[@babugr7394]

Good to understand calories, only I get confused about calories spoken vs. on the screen kilo cal (kcal) should I consider only calorie or kcal

[@_Amit_Sunil]

Calorie is the same as kcal. In most places they mean the same. Basically 1 Calorie (capital C)= 1000 calories (small c)

[@akhilvijaykumar7064]

Also please share the dimensions of the cup used for rice, vegetables etc..how much ml?

[@krishashok]

Standard cup 236 ml

[@krishnamanigandan21]

Can you please tell how much Calories is one cup of coconut?

[@yashasbedarkar9496]

Hi @krishashok Are you alternatively using cals and kcals? Isnt kcals 1000times of cals?

[@krishashok]

No. When people say calories, it’s typical kcals only. This is because of that original silly confusion where calorie with small c was 1/1000th of Calorie with capital C

[@MokshJuneja965]

Sir how to know how many calories our body requires according to our weight and height 7:42

[@twentyone3349]

what is the volume of ONE CUP ?

[@sirishasriram1930]

Portion sizes do matter, culturally we Indians are generous with portions, "Delboef effect" too plays a role, portion control is quite an explosive topic, as most people euquate quantity with quality, affection and hospitality. Leaving table when 75% full is always good

[@akhilvijaykumar7064]

Great content ❤..I actually took notes! Whats your opinion about skipping breakfast? Is it healthy or unhealthy?I think ,the scientific community is also a bit divided about it. Maybe it may depend on individuals. Will you do a video about it?

[@krishashok]

No universal rules. If it works for you, do it!

[@akhilvijaykumar7064]

@@krishashok Thankyou so much !

[@taniy_a]

Why kcal is the unit?

[@anarkali_217]

u have alot of fans now in pakistan atleast three familes. love ur videos. 💌

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@user-qq8gf8br4z]

Give a simple chart for how much to eat on a daily basis for a normal office going adult... ... no complications please.

[@deeptiyadav3891]

How to measure the calories required by an individual

[@nehakashalkar3158]

Hi, can you make this video in Hindi, just yesterday my MIL was asking “how to calculate calories. I could not explain it wonderfully to her as you have.

[@krishashok]

Ah yes. Planning to create a Hindi channel

[@AmMo2023]

You should have been our science teacher in school.

[@krishashok]

:)

[@Rehan-Naeem]

What is the size of the cup ashok was referring to

[@krishashok]

Typical side dish cup

[@evolve4865]

Hello sir, the calorie count you give of each food later in the video , what you say and what is shown on screen dont match . Eg , you say cup of dal has few calories but on screen it shows few kilo calories.

[@tz3925]

All foods are technically in kilocalories but colloquially we call them calories

[@jayalakshmis5771]

Sir, boiled sprouts calories eppadi calculate pannanum?

[@krishashok]

Romba yosikkadeenga. Just use the same paruppu calories

[@Vignesh-wg7cg]

Can you please explain the lactose intolerance of south indians.I have heard this from multiple sources but I can't grasp the fact because of the large number of people regularing drinking tea and eating curd.If we are lactose intolerant,what are the effects which i can't see???

[@krishashok]

Yoghurt consumption is particularly high because it doesn't contain much lactose (the lactobacteria eat it all!)

[@Vignesh-wg7cg]

@@krishashok ok thank you.... But what about the tea and coffee consumption.What are the effects that are caused by lactose intolerant that are hard to see.

[@Kathakathan11]

@@Vignesh-wg7cgso many South Indian dishes have milk in it, especially sweet dishes

[@shishir12789]

Is 150 kcal a good approximation for parathas? And I guess the stuffing matters too. Like paneer/potatoes can have higher calories than cauliflower or radishes.

[@krishashok]

Indeed. The amounts are meant to be a starting point, and as we say in the video, it's consistency in calculations that matter more than specific item's accuracy

[@Kathakathan11]

The point is we cannot calculate calories accurately anyways, eat healthier and only sufficient, do fasting. That’s important

[@S.Gurumanickam]

When calorie counting is highly unreliable, why should we bother at all?

[@Suma_AJ]

Hello Sir..... Is our fasting ends if we taste a quarter spoon of food while cooking?

[@krishashok]

No.

[@Suma_AJ]

@@krishashok Thank you so much for your Valuable time and Information Sir.....

[@wasachannel...5152]

my honest reaction.." devta manus hai ye sir"

Oil makes a huge difference 😮

[@ashekaramesh]

so redusing starchy food amd incresing other item in diat is no use for heath 😒😒😒

[@isla8599]

My problem is sauces... butter chicken, saag paneer in particular

[@krishashok]

I see your point. Even in rich gravies, it's typically the fat that contributes most calories, and if you can get a sense of how much oil/fat/butter went in, that is a good way to keep track

[@rakvt]

I thought this was going to be about curries being hard to count calories, and ways to figure that out 😅 a piece of meat is x calories, but what about the gravy that you eat along with? So many variations, so many heavy ingredients used, etc.

[@krishashok]

Which is why we focused on counting fats. Gravy calories by themselves aren't much. It's the fats in the them that matter

[@37prashantmehta]

How many calories do we as indians need in a typical day???

[@krishashok]

ICMR-NIN guidelines are 2400 for men and 2100 for women

[@rajasrirangam4802]

calories. 1. : a unit of heat: a. : the heat energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius and equal to about 4.19 joules.

[@ashishmahajan200]

Please through some light on the calories in dry fruits & nuts like almonds, walnuts, pista, cashewnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds,etc? I have noticed that we tend to over consume roasted versions of the above, in the name of healthy snacking.

[@krishashok]

They are pretty high calorie

[@ashishmahajan200]

If you could give a brief idea as to how many approx calories in one unit of these

[@vijaymenon8997]

How much calories one adult need per day

[@ashimabhatnagar9724]

How many calories in a day?

[@krishashok]

varies by gender/weight

[@drsanthoshkumarp1432]

How much calories per day sir

[@krishashok]

Depends on your age, weight, height and exercise levels. Use this www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

[@ShaggyBoyShow]

tell us the grams of each items please. one cup or one object is very arbitrary

[@krishashok]

Weight is not practical for most people. No one has the patience to sit and weigh stuff before eating, but a standard cup (236 ml) is a relatively easy visual heuristic

[@ShaggyBoyShow]

@@krishashok I think we will meet in the future on health and wellness front. You are a great communicator. Thanks

[@user-wj3nd5nr1l]

1 cup is how many grams

[@krishashok]

Cup is a volume measure. Grams will vary based on what you are putting in it. 240g in case of water.

[@sisirkattempudi7155]

Calories or Kilo Calories?

[@anand2750]

@krishashok I have searched and asked around a lot, but still have no clear answer on how I calculate the calories of a food (say 100 grams of chicken breast or medhu-vada) when it is deep fried? Do I do it based on the change in weight of the food that was fried? Or the change in weight of the remaining oil in the pan?

[@krishashok]

Generally very hard. But most of the added calories are from the oil absorbed

[@SUPER-SAIYAN-GOD.]

Lol My majority of calories are from Oils in home food😂😂😂

[@navskygupta5311]

It's just to easy to overeat extra cals

[@krishashok]

Yeah

[@the-happy-vibe]

How many calories - green salad? 😃

[@krishashok]

Not much. If it doesn't contain starchy veggies, you can assume 100 calories (with a small amount of dressing)

[@jagannathdas5491]

You say calories while displaying kcals. Isn't kcals =kilo calories. Misleading

[@krishashok]

So unfortunately, the confusion was created by scientists only back in the day. They defined calorie (with small c) and Calorie (with large C) as 1000 calories. Modern day we use kcal instead of the Capitalized Calorie

[@FatemaAmmar76]

​@@krishashokSo when my treadmill tells me I lost 200 calories after walking for an hour, are those calories or Calories (kcal) ??

[@adityaraj2213]

You said calories but your video showed kilo calories 🥲

[@krishashok]

This is a very common confusion. The original calorie with a small c was different From Calorie with a capital C. The latter was actually a kilocalorie! But Americans starting using Calorie in spoken language where you can’t tell the difference between small c and capital C so in spoken language Calorie effectively came to mean kilocalorie.

[@shivamtiwari1547]

Hey, keep making debunking videos about food & nutrition there are just so much misconceptions around

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@maniaphobia4719]

Shocking to know that Restaurants food is in 2 to 3 times multiple calories ; Also shocking is 1 tsbp of oil is high in calories ; Should I give up my lovable Dosa + Milagai podi soaked in Sesame oil !!!!! Never !!! Better to die for Same old Dosa plus oil soaked powder despite caution by Krishashok

[@ashutoshpai7411]

We have forgotten the difference between hunger n starvation. Plus everytime you are hungry u needn't eat. If u aren't hungry don't eat... even if it's lunch time. Eat nutritious food don't eat sugary n refined n processed foods some exceptions are cheese n protein powder. Eat at home n have a big kitchen. Food should give a satiating feeling...use fat.. healthy fats to cook.

[@rajeshbhaidasna6870]

shows # kcal and he says calories, get it straight man!

[@krishashok]

1000 calories = 1 Calorie (capital C). To avoid this confusion, written labels use kcal while spoken language still uses Calorie (capital C).

[@chetankhadate8553]

Overhyped episode,,,

[@abhirupan7630]

unrelated question- what are your favourite cuisines to eat besides indian/tamil food (unless that isnt on the top of your list)?

[@krishashok]

My favourite cuisine isn't Indian at all. It's Mexican. Second favourite is Thai. Third is Indian (specifically Bengali or Maharashtrian), followed by Kerala

[@asmitachatterjee8979]

​@@krishashokoh! That's interesting. I am half Bong-half Maharashtrian. I like these two cuisines the most and Thai as the next. And very few non- Maharashtrians like the cuisine.