How to Calculate Calories in Indian Food
Indian dishes contain many high calorie food ingredients such as oils, spices, goat, curries and coconut. The total calories in any Indian dish vary with the ingredients in the food and with the quantity of the ingredients added. The sum total of all the calories for all ingredients gives the total calories for the dish. Using the USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, you can easily calculate the calorie count of each recipe ingredient.
What you will need:
- List of recipe ingredients
- Calculator
- Write up a listing of all the ingredients of the Indian recipe. For each ingredient, list the quantity of the ingredient used in the recipe.
- Use the USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference site to input the name of the ingredient in the keyword field and hit the "Submit" button.
- Select the specific variation of the item on the page that next appears. Hit the "Submit" button.
- Use the next page to submit the quantity of the ingredient you will use in the recipe. On the site, express the quantity as a fraction of 100 grams, or the fraction of a cup etc. Enter the fractional amount in the box under “Amount,” and hit the 'Submit" button.
- Access the “kcal” amount calculated for the quantity of the ingredient you input on the previous page. Make a note of the calculated calorie amount for the ingredient.
- Repeat this procedure for each ingredient in the recipe of the Indian dish or food you have chosen. After the calculation of the calorie content of all the ingredients in the dish, add the totals together and you will have the calories of the dish.
- Repeat this process to calculate calories in Indian food for any recipe of your choosing.