Kenyans have become quite health conscious. Evidence of this can be seen in the popularity of fitness TV shows, proliferation of gyms and the increase in healthy food outlets. Many people have now taken up the habit of counting food calories to ensure they only eat the recommended number of calories for their gender, lifestyle and age.
Unfortunately, most online health websites do not provide calorie information for some of Kenya’s favorite dishes. If calorie counting is your thing, you should find the table below useful.
Kenyan Calorie Counter
| Food Type | Average Number of Calories |
|---|---|
| 150-200 grams of Ugali (average slice/portion served in most restaurants) | 365 |
| 1 cup of cooked white rice | 216 |
| 500 grams of fried 80% lean beef or goat (Nusu kilo nyama/mbuzi fry ) | 1,500 |
| 250 grams of fried 80% lean beef or goat (Nusu kilo nyama/mbuzi fry) | 750 |
| 100 grams of fried 80% lean beef or goat (Nusu kilo nyama/mbuzi fry) | 300 |
| 500 grams of grilled 80% lean beef or goat (Nusu choma) | 1,026 |
| 250 grams of grilled 80% lean beef or goat (Quarter choma) | 523 |
| 100 grams of sukumawiki or spinach (saucer portion) | 49 |
| Chicken breast fried | 260 |
| Chicken breast stewed | 186 |
| Chicken leg stewed | 206 |
| One whole Tilapia fried fish average 250-300 grams | 280 |
| One avocado | 89 |
| One banana | 89 |
| One cup of tea (two teaspoons of sugar and milk) | 92 |
| One boiled egg | 155 |
| One fried egg | 196 |
| One teaspoon of sugar | 16 |
| One slice brown bread | 65 |
| One slice white bread | 67 |
| One Tusker, Pilsner or whitecap lager beer | 132 |
| One Summit lager | 35 |
| Glass of wine | 85 |
| Double tot of whisky | 112 |
The following are the daily calorie requirements based on gender, age and physical activity.
| Gender | Age (years) | Sedentary | Moderately Active | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child | 2-3 | 1,000 | 1,000-1,400 | 1,000-1,400 |
| 4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+ | 1,200 1,600 1,800 2,000 1,800 1,600 | 1,400-1,600 1,600-2,000 2,000 2,000-2,200 2,000 1,800 | 1,400-1,800 1,800-2,200 2,400 2,400 2,200 2,000-2,200 | |
| Male | 4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+ | 1,400 1,800 2,200 2,400 2,200 2,000 | 1,400-1,600 1,800-2,200 2,400-2,800 2,600-2,800 2,400-2,600 2,200-2,400 | 1,600-2,000 2,000-2,600 2,800-3,200 3,000 2,800-3,000 2,400-2,800 |
Notes:
- Sedentary refers to a white-collar worker who performs only light physical activity associated with day-to-day life.
- Moderately active persons engage in physical activity equivalent to walking about 1 km a day in addition to the normal daily activity.
- Active persons engage in strenuous manual work. They either workout or are engaged in physically demanding occupations such as construction work.