Weight loss is a desire of most youths today, and one of the ways to achieve this is through proper monitoring of the number of calories we eat on a daily basis. This article is therefore about the Common foods in Uganda and their Calorie Content.

The food that we eat on a daily basis contains calories. We should eat just the right quantity of calories that our body needs.

When we eat and drink more calories than the body needs to use up, the body stores the excess as body fat. When body fat storage is continuous, we start to put on weight.

So what or how do we understand calories

What is Calorie Content?

A calorie is a unit of measure of energy in food and drinks. It is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one mL, (which is also one gram), of water by one degree Celsius.

How are calories measured in food?

The total caloric value in food is calculated by adding up the calories provided by the energy-containing nutrients that make up our plate of food for example protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol.

How many calories should one eat every day?

The recommended amount of calorie intake depends on the unique characteristics of every individual’s weight, size,   height, health, lifestyle, and activity level.

As a general guide, an average man needs around 2,500 calories, and 2,000 calories for a woman respectively to maintain healthy body weight.

 Does eating very many calories a day lead to gaining weight?

Eating a lot of calories which exceed the amount that is normal will leave your body with excess calories. These can be used up and burnt during using safe ways of losing weight as we discussed in my last article.

Excess calories that are not used up accumulate over time and result in weight gain.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

What are the typical foods in Uganda and their calorie Content?

If your child is an athlete, and he thinks about food, you should think about carbohydrates, which are the primary food source of energy.  A balanced diet of well-distributed calories would be made of whole-grain products, vegetables, and fruits

Food Health Studies have shown that adequate dietary carbohydrates must be consumed on a daily basis, especially after exercise, to restore levels of carbohydrates (glycogen) stored in the body’s muscles and liver.

Muscle fatigue and poor performance associated with glycogen depletion from exercise and straining body activities can be prevented by a carbohydrate-rich diet and periodic rest days to give the muscles time to replenish the glycogen.

Since it is healthy for us to keep fit and keep away that weight and diseases, we need to know which foods are rich in carbohydrates.

 Common foods in Uganda

Milk Food Group

Beans Food Group

Fruits food group

Vegetable food group

Grain Food Groups

Other foods

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