There are a number of free calorie counters available on the internet.  These programs allow you to select a specific food and it will tell you how many calories are in one serving.  It will also tell you what the recommended serving size is.  If you are on a diet, you owe it to yourself to check out the free calorie counters out there.

There are a number of free calorie counters available on the internet.  These programs allow you to select a specific food and it will tell you how many calories are in one serving.  It will also tell you what the recommended serving size is.  If you are on a diet, you owe it to yourself to check out the free calorie counters out there.

What should you look for in a calorie counter and how will you know when you have found a good one?  This article looks at the basic components of free calorie counters and shows you some of the sophisticated options out there.

Free calorie counters should include basic groceries.  An apple is an apple is an apple, no matter how you slice it.  Included in this category is dairy, eggs, fruit, meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables.

But, so much of what we eat today is processed food.  So, a good program will also include various branded foods.  For instance, you should be able to find out that one serving of Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter equals 2 tablespoons and has 190 calories in it.  Additionally, you might find that 16 percent of the food comes from protein, 71 percent from fat, and 14 from carbs.  It has 2 grams of fiber.

Sophisticated free calorie counters also include sections for popular recipes.  You might learn that the popular Indian dish Chicken Tikka has 232 calories. 

Additionally, many free calorie counters include the foods from popular restaurants and fast food outlets.  You might be surprised at just how many calories some of your favorite restaurant foods have in them.  And, you should take note that most of the time you will consume fewer calories if you go to a hamburger shop than a sit down restaurant.

The calorie counters depend on your ability to judge a serving.  Too many times what we judge to be enough for a meal is really multiple servings.  To help you with this, the free calorie counters divide foods into their standard suggested serving sizes and tell you what the weight in grams for that amount is. 

While most programs simply list the calories in foods, some free calorie counters have a companion program that shows you just how many calories you've burned by doing specific activities. 

Everyone knows that the way you lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume in a given period.  To lose 1 pound, you must burn 3500 extra calories than you eat.  These calories burned calculators help you determine just how much you can eat based on how much activity you have in a specific day.

Further, if you have an extra cookie at lunch, you will know how many extra minutes you have to hit on the treadmill after work with these programs.

If you are trying to lose weight, search out the internet for one of the free calorie counters.  You will gain a lot of insight into your diet when you do.

Marcilio David is a cardiologist and internet entrepreneur, he is the owner of The Smart Weight Loss Guide, where you can get a lot of diet tips. Come and get a FREE Diet report at http://diet.seuamigodopeito.com