CALORIES - HOW MANY CALORIES EQUALS ONE POUND?

It takes 3,500 calories to equal one pound of body weight.

How much food would that equal? Now here is the kicker - and the reason why it is so difficult to manage weight. All foods differ in caloric as well as nutritional values; even the same specimens differ because they aren't of identical size and shape.

But as an example, here is the amount of food that would equal those 3,500 calories (energy), the amount that it takes to create one pound on the body.

An individual would have to eat all of the following in order to generate that one-pound of weight gain - or foods containing the same caloric values:

- 1 seven pound roasted turkey OR;

- 2 four-pound roasted chickens OR;

- about 3 fifteen-inch long by seven inches in diameter watermelons OR;

- about 25 cups of prepared oatmeal OR;

- more than two pounds of Cheddar cheese OR;

- 500 cups of baby spinach OR;

- 117 medium-sized fresh carrots OR;

- almost 40 cups of reduced fat milk OR;

- 35 cups of reduced fat cottage cheese OR;

- about 35 cups of sugary soda.

Even where healthy vegetables are concerned, calories can add up quickly. However, most individuals who gain weigh don't accomplish such through those healthy fruits or vegetables. Most do such with foods that are very extreme in caloric and dietary fat content.

One enchilada covered with cheese and chili sauce at a fine dining Mexican restaurant typically contains about 600 to 800 calories each, depending upon the recipe. If the diner enjoys a half dozen cheese enchilada - they are well on their way to gaining that one pound via an excess of 3,500 calories over their daily caloric needs.

Calories in Fruit: How much fruit would an individual need to eat to gain one pound?

Because most fruit is very low in calories, it takes a lot of fruit to equal one pound of weight gain. Particularly if the dieter is dining on low calorie fruits such as strawberries.

For example, 1 cup of strawberries contains about 45 calories. In order for the dieter to gain one pound of weight, they would have to exceed the number of their daily recommended calories by 3,500 calories. That would equal about 80 cups of strawberries or 160 one-half cup servings of strawberries. That's a lot of shortcake!

This is one reason why fruit makes an excellent choice for the dieter - and it's not only low in calories, but it's also very low in fat grams with some fruits containing mere traces of fat grams.

Fruits that tend to be higher in calories are bananas, apples, pears and pineapple - close to 100 calories per serving depending upon the size of the fruit.

Mangos are also higher in calories than many fruits like strawberries, melon and apricots. Melon contains a tiny 50 calories per cup. Blueberries contain about 70 calories per cup.

And if you're wanting to keep calorie content under control you'll need to stay away from the dried fruits which are super high in sugar content, thus containing far more calories than their raw fruit counterparts.

In addition, raw fruit makes a much better choice than canned fruit which is packed in syrup. If you must purchase canned fruit, look for the fruit that has been packed in its natural juices with no added sugars. Frozen fruit also makes an excellent choice.

So if you're seeking to lose a healthy average of two pounds of body fat per week, try substituting fresh fruit for desserts.

Another great plus about fruit is that it transports very easily, making it a great anywhere, anytime, healthy diet snack.

Be sure to wash all fruit before eating to remove harmful bacteria. Even when fruit is carefully processed, it only takes a few dirty hands at the store handling the fruit to create all sorts of health concerns, particularly where little kids are involved.