Articles
20 articles on nutrition, with sources
Answers to questions people often ask about calories, Greek food and food labels. At the end of each article we list the studies and guidelines it is based on.
Weight loss
Calories, pace, protein, plateaus and what research says about well-known diets.
01How many calories you need a day and how to work them outThe Mifflin-St Jeor equation step by step, activity factors, how accurate the calculation is, why the ‘7,700 calories = 1 kg’ rule does not hold in the long term, and a calculator.6 min · with a tool02How many kilos you can safely lose in a monthWhat the guidelines say about the rate of weight loss, why we measure it as a percentage of body weight, why the first week shows more, and the risks of losing weight very fast.6 min · with a tool03Why the scales have stopped going down and how often to weigh yourselfWhy your weight goes up and down from day to day, how often it is worth weighing yourself, what a real plateau is, how much your metabolism really ‘gets stuck’, and what to do.6 min04How much protein you need and which foods you get it fromHow much protein you need per kilo when you are dieting, when you exercise and after 65, how much at each meal, how much common foods provide, and what applies to the kidneys.6 min05Can you lose fat from your belly alone?What studies have shown about abdominal exercises and ‘spot reduction’, what applies to the fat around your organs, and how to measure your waist the way NICE recommends.6 min0616/8 intermittent fasting and eating in the evening. What the evidence saysWhat the 2026 Cochrane review and the large trials show about 16/8 fasting, whether eating in the evening makes you put on weight, what applies to fruit, and who should not fast on their own.6 min07What research says about keto, the egg diet and the units dietKeto or low fat, what the large trials showed, what applies to the ‘boiled egg diet’ and the ‘units diet’, and who needs to be careful.7 min
The Greek table
Cooked dishes, ladera (vegetables slow-cooked in olive oil), pulses, bread, fasting and souvlaki, with numbers per portion.
08How many calories are in a portion of Fasolada, Fakes, Gemista and other Greek dishesCalories and protein per portion for 36 cooked dishes, from Fasolada (Greek bean soup) and Fakes (lentil soup) to pastitsio, how we calculate them and why they change with the oil and the size of the plate.6 min · with a tool09Olive oil and ladera. How many calories are in a tablespoon and how much fits into a dietCalories and grams for a teaspoon, a tablespoon and a cup of olive oil, how much oil ladera contain per portion, and what the PREDIMED study showed about weight.6 min · with a tool10Why the Greek National Dietary Guidelines ask for three portions of pulses a weekWhat exactly the Greek National Dietary Guidelines ask for on pulses, how much protein and fibre a portion provides, what research has shown on cholesterol and weight, and what to do about bloating.6 min11Bread on a diet. White, wholemeal, rye or ruskCalories, fibre and salt per slice for white, wholemeal, rye and multigrain bread, rusks and crispbread toasts, what research says about whole grains and how to read the label.6 min12Orthodox fasting and diet. How to get enough protein without meat and dairyWhat you can eat during the fasting periods, what Greek studies found about protein, calcium and B12, how much protein pulses, soya and seafood provide, and example days.6 min13How many calories are in a souvlaki pitta and a souvlaki skewerCalories, protein and salt for chicken and pork skewers, pitta, tzatziki, chips and gyros, and how souvlaki fits into your plan.5 min
Supermarket
How to read labels and claims, and how to choose yoghurt and breakfast cereals.
14How to read the nutrition table on food packagingWhat the nutrition table must show, why you compare per 100 g, what sugars, salt and the reference intake percentage mean, and a colour-coded tool.6 min · with a tool15‘Sugar-free’, ‘light’, ‘no added sugar’. What they mean under the lawThe limits that European law sets for ‘sugars-free’, ‘with no added sugars’, ‘light’, ‘low fat’ and the other claims on food packs.7 min16Strained yoghurt, 2%, full fat or dessert? How to chooseWhat the Greek Food and Beverages Code says about yoghurt and strained yoghurt, how much protein, fat and calcium each one has, and how to tell yoghurt from a dessert.7 min17Breakfast cereals and bars. How to spot the ones with a lot of sugarSugars, fibre and calories in corn flakes, wholegrain cereals, muesli, oats and bars, the names of sugar in the ingredients and what research says about weight.6 min
Everyday life
Alcohol, eating out, holidays and sleep.
18How many calories are in beer, wine and tsipouro, and what alcohol does on a dietCalories and grams of alcohol per glass for beer, wine, ouzo and tsipouro, what research shows about appetite and what the WHO says about health.6 min · with a tool19Tavernas, the festive season and eating out. How to fit them into your weekHow many calories a meal out has according to measurements, what taverna dishes provide, how much weight we gain over the festive season and what helps.7 min20Sleep and weight. What research shows about short sleep and hungerWhat changes in your appetite when you sleep too little, what studies have shown about dieting and sleep, how many hours you need and when to talk to a doctor.6 min