The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats, oils, and sweets. These are foods such as salad dressings, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, and candies. Go easy on these foods because they have a lot of calories from fat and sugars, but few nutrients. A calorie is a measure of the energy supplied by foods you eat and drink. If you need to lose weight, you may need to eat less, exercise more, or do both.
Some foods are higher in calories than other foods.
For example, foods that have more fat and sugar have more calories. Alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor also has calories. The way a food is made can also make a big difference in the number of calories. See the foods listed below. Pregnant women should not drink alcoholic beverages because they are harmful to the baby.