Expert guides, chef-tested recipes, and sourcing stories from the ParsaFood global food team.
Cooked white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams, while cooked white pasta has 158, so pasta is about 21 percent denser. A cup of rice has 205 calories and a cup of spaghetti 220. Compare cooked and dry weights, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, protein, fullness, glycemic index and sauces to decide which starch fits your plate.
Cooked shrimp has about 99 calories per 100 grams, while canned light tuna in water has about 116, so shrimp is slightly lighter. A three-ounce serving has 84 calories of shrimp or 99 of tuna. Compare protein, fat, cholesterol, omega-3s, sodium and mercury, plus canned, fresh and oil-packed forms, to choose the better seafood for your plate.
A teaspoon of sugar (4.2 grams) has about 16 calories, while a packet of artificial sweetener has 0 to 4 calories on the label and in reality. A packet tastes as sweet as about two teaspoons of sugar, so it replaces roughly 32 calories. Compare sugar and sweeteners by serving, sweetness, cups of tea and cola, and what the evidence says.
A tablespoon of strawberry jam (20 grams) has about 56 calories, while a tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread (15 grams) has about 81. Per 100 grams, jam has 278 calories and chocolate spread 539, nearly double. Compare sugar, fat, serving size, toast breakfasts and lighter swaps to see which spread fits your morning.
Raisins have about 299 calories per 100 grams, while fresh grapes have only 69, so raisins are more than four times denser. But a quarter cup of raisins (36 grams) has 108 calories, almost the same as a full cup of grapes (104). Compare calories by weight, by cup and by handful, plus sugar, fiber and fullness.
One Rabbi date (8 grams) has about 23 calories, while a typical 24-gram granola bar has about 115. Per 100 grams, Rabbi dates have around 282 calories and granola bars 410 to 470, so dates are lighter by weight. Compare calories per piece, sugar, fiber and fullness to decide which snack suits your day.
Sugar has about 387 calories per 100 grams, while milk chocolate has about 535, so chocolate is about 38 percent denser. A teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories, and a 10-gram square of milk chocolate 53. Compare sugar content, fat, bars, kisses and dark chocolate to see how much sugar is hidden in chocolate and which indulgence costs fewer calories.
Drained tuna in olive oil has about 198 calories per 100 grams, while cooked skinless chicken breast has about 165, so chicken is about 17 percent lighter. A drained can of oil-packed tuna has around 224 calories, and one cooked chicken breast about 284. Compare protein per calorie, fat, sodium, oil draining and meal ideas to choose the better lean protein.
Drained tuna in olive oil has about 198 calories per 100 grams, while drained tuna in water has about 116, a difference of 82 calories. A drained can has roughly 224 calories in oil and 131 in water. Compare fat, protein, omega-3, sodium, taste, draining methods and cost to decide which can belongs in your pantry and how to cut the calories of the oil-packed kind.
One sugar cube (4 grams) has about 16 calories, and ten raisins (5 grams) have about 15. Per 100 grams, raisins have 299 calories and sugar 387, so raisins are about 23 percent lighter by weight. Compare calories, sugar, fiber and minerals to see how many raisins equal one cube and whether raisins are really a sweet swap.
A medium boiled potato (170 grams) has about 148 calories, while a cup of cooked white rice (158 grams) has about 205. Per 100 grams, boiled potato has 87 calories and cooked rice 130, so potatoes are about a third lighter. Compare calories per portion, fiber, potassium, fullness and glycemic index to decide which starch belongs on your plate.
Cooked white rice has 130 calories per 100 grams and white bread 265, so bread is twice as dense by weight. But a cup of rice (205 calories) has about three slices of bread worth of energy. Compare rice with white bread, whole grain bread, lavash, sangak and pita by weight, by piece and by meal.
A cream-filled wafer biscuit has about 520 calories per 100 grams, while milk chocolate has about 535, so they are almost equal by weight. A single wafer finger has about 40 calories and a small chocolate bar about 235. Compare calories per piece, pack, sugar, fat and fullness to see which sweet snack costs fewer calories in practice.
Cooked whiteleg shrimp has about 99 calories per 100 grams, while cooked blue crab meat has about 87, Alaska king crab about 97 and Dungeness crab about 110. A three-ounce serving has 84 calories of shrimp and 74 to 94 of crab. Compare protein, cholesterol, sodium, minerals and cooking methods to see which shellfish is lighter on your plate.
Sunflower oil and olive oil have almost the same calories: about 884 per 100 grams, 120 per tablespoon and 40 per teaspoon. The real differences are in the fat types, vitamin E, polyphenols, smoke point and flavor. Compare calories by spoon and cup, then see how frying, salad dressings and everyday cooking change what actually ends up on your plate.
