Food anchors • 6 min read

The Ultimate North American Cheat Sheet

Updated April 24, 2026

A working reference for the foods most North Americans actually eat. Use it as a sanity check, not a calorie bible — when in doubt, round up.

🌅 Breakfast

Food	Circles	kcal	P / C / F	Note
Black Coffee / Unsweetened Tea	0	0	0g / 0g / 0g	Zero calories until modifiers (milk/sugar) are added.
Mixed Berries (1 cup)	0.5	~50	1g / 12g / 0g	High volume, low calorie alternative to bananas.
Large Egg (boiled/poached)	1	~75	6g / 0g / 5g	Best protein-per-circle of any whole food.
Greek Yogurt (plain non-fat, ¾ cup)	1	~100	17g / 6g / 0g	Non-fat baseline. Full-fat adds 0.5–1 circle.
Banana (medium)	1	~100	1g / 25g / 0g	Pure carbs. Great pre-workout, not filling.
Milk (2%, 250ml / 1 cup)	1.2	~120	8g / 12g / 5g	Skim is ~85 kcal; unsweetened almond is ~30 kcal.
Oatmeal (½ cup dry, plain)	1.5	~150	5g / 27g / 3g	Before toppings. Honey/fruit adds 0.5–1 more.
Granola (¼ cup)	1.5	~160	4g / 22g / 7g	Classic trap. Tiny portion, high circles.
Avocado Toast (1 slice + ½ avocado)	2.5–3	~280	6g / 25g / 15g	Baseline without heavy oils/butter.
Scrambled Eggs + Toast (2 eggs, 1 slice)	3	~300	16g / 25g / 14g	Solid breakfast. Butter adds 0.5–1 more.
Plain Bagel (standard)	3.5	~340	12g / 65g / 2g	Dense carbs. Cream cheese adds 1 more.
Pancakes (2 medium, plain)	3.5	~350	8g / 50g / 10g	Before syrup and butter. Add 1–2 after.
Smoothie (fruit + yogurt + milk, ~400ml)	3.5–5	~380	12g / 55g / 8g	The biggest breakfast trap. Liquid calories don't satisfy.

Food	Circles	kcal	P / C / F	Note
Garden Salad (no dressing, raw veg)	0.2	~25	1g / 5g / 0g	Massive volume. Add a lean protein and light dressing.
Miso Soup (1 small bowl)	0.5	~40	3g / 4g / 1.5g	Great low-calorie starter to fill you up.
Sushi Roll (6–8 pcs, salmon/avocado)	3–4	~340	13g / 50g / 10g	One roll. Most people order two.
Pizza Slice (pepperoni, large)	3–4	~340	14g / 34g / 15g	Most people eat 2–3 slices = 6–9 circles total.
Sandwich (deli, turkey/chicken, 6")	4–5	~450	30g / 48g / 16g	Bread + sauce matter a lot.
Chicken Rice (Hainanese style)	5–6	~520	35g / 62g / 14g	Healthier than it looks. Skin adds 1+ circle.
Pho (medium bowl, beef)	5.5–6.5	~600	35g / 75g / 15g	Accounts for dense noodle portions and fatty brisket/broth.
Stir-fry Rice (restaurant takeout)	8–9	~850	25g / 110g / 30g	Takeout containers hold 2.5–3 cups of oil-coated rice.
Caesar Salad (entree, with chicken)	8–10	~900	35g / 30g / 70g	Restaurant entrees use massive amounts of dressing/cheese.
Ramen (tonkotsu, full bowl)	8.5–10	~950	35g / 85g / 45g	Pork fat emulsion broth makes this highly caloric.
Pad Thai (restaurant portion)	9–11	~1,000	35g / 120g / 40g	Restaurant portions use heavy oil and tamarind sugar.
Chipotle-style Burrito (fully loaded)	13–15	~1,300	55g / 120g / 55g	Accounts for standard addition of sour cream & guac.

Food	Circles	kcal	P / C / F	Note
Steamed Vegetables (1 cup, mixed)	0.5	~40	2g / 8g / 0g	High volume, low calorie. Essential for filling up.
Firm Tofu (100g)	1	~85	9g / 2g / 5g	Excellent low-calorie plant protein baseline.
Grilled Shrimp (100g)	1	~100	24g / 0g / 0.5g	One of the leanest proteins available.
White Fish (Cod/Tilapia, 150g)	1.5	~135	30g / 0g / 1g	Much lower in calories and fat than salmon.
Grilled Salmon (150g)	3	~300	34g / 0g / 16g	One of the best dinners by nutrition, high in omega-3.
Stir-fry Chicken + Veg (no rice)	3–4	~350	35g / 15g / 16g	Solid. Add 2–2.5 circles if you have rice on the side.
Dumplings / Gyoza (8 pcs, pan-fried)	4–5	~420	18g / 40g / 18g	Pan-frying adds 1 circle vs steamed.
Steak (sirloin, 200g)	4–5	~440	48g / 0g / 24g	Lean cut. Butter/sauce at the table adds 1–2.
Rotisserie Chicken (½ bird, no skin)	4–5	~450	60g / 0g / 22g	Best protein dinner. Skin doubles the fat.
Tacos (3 street-style, chicken)	5–6	~540	30g / 48g / 20g	Sour cream / guac each add 1 more circle.
Burger (single patty, with bun)	5–7	~600	30g / 45g / 28g	Cheese + sauce easily adds 2 more circles.
Pasta (tomato sauce, restaurant)	6–8	~700	22g / 95g / 18g	Portions are usually 1.5–2x what you'd make at home.
Takeout Thai Green Curry (1 portion)	6–8	~700	28g / 35g / 40g	Coconut milk = very high fat. Circles vary by restaurant.
Pasta (cream sauce, restaurant)	8–11	~950	24g / 95g / 42g	Cream = dramatic fat increase. 3–4 more circles than tomato.

These are the factors that silently inflate meals. Apply on top of any item above.

Factor	Add Circles	kcal Added	When it applies
Deep frying	+2	+180–250	Any fried item vs. baked/grilled equivalent
Cooking oil (per tbsp, restaurant stir-fry)	+1	+120	Assume 2–3 tbsp in most restaurant wok dishes
Butter (per tbsp)	+1	+100	Cooking, on bread, finishing sauces
Creamy sauce / mayo (per serving)	+1	+100–150	Pasta sauce, burger sauce, dipping sauce
Salad dressing (2 tbsp, creamy)	+1	+130	The reason salads aren't always "light"
Cheese slice (cheddar, 1 oz)	+1	+110	Adds protein too — not a pure negative
Avocado (½)	+1	+120	Healthy fat but circles are real
White rice (1 cup cooked)	+2	+220	Restaurant bowls are usually 1.5 cups
Coca-Cola / regular soda (355ml)	+1.5	+150	Zero nutrition. Switch to sparkling water.
Juice (250ml, orange/apple)	+1	+115	Liquid sugar. Eat the fruit instead.
Bubble Tea (standard, full sugar)	+4–5	+430	Biggest hidden-calorie drink in the category
Beer (355ml, craft ~6%)	+2–2.5	+220	Alcohol = 7 kcal/g on top of carbs
Wine (150ml glass)	+1	+125	Reasonable. The second glass is the problem.
Syrup (2 pumps, Starbucks)	+1	+80	Standard latte order = 4 pumps = +2 circles