How to Count Calories for Different Foods

A calorie is a unit that measures heat energy. The caloric value is the amount of energy provided by the carbohydrates, protein and fat contained within foods. One gram of carbohydrate and 1 g of protein each contain four calories. Fat is more calorie-dense and contains nine calories per gram, while alcohol contains seven calories per gram. Carbohydrates should provide 50 percent to 55 percent of an adult's total daily calorie intake. The remaining calories should consist of 10 percent to 15 percent proteins and no more than 30 percent fats, according to the Merck Manuals website. Count calories for different foods by using these equations and techniques and by referring to the nutritional information that is provided on food labels and packaging.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator
• Kitchen scales
• Cups
• Online calorie counter

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Instructions

• 1

  Refer to the nutrition label on the food product. Identify the product's total amounts, in grams, of carbohydrate, protein and fat.

• 2

  Multiply the total number of grams of carbohydrate by four. Multiply the total number of grams of protein by four and the total number of grams of fat by nine. Add the totals together to provide the overall calorie count of the food product.

• 3

  Refer to the nutrition label to identify how many servings are contained within the food product.

• 4

  Divide the overall calorie count of the product by the number of servings it contains. This provides the calorie count for one serving of the product.

• 5

  Refer to the food packaging to identify the weight of the food product in grams.

• 6

  Divide the weight of the food product by the number of servings it contains. This provides you with the weight of one serving of the product.

• 7

  Weigh out one serving of the food product on kitchen scales.

• 8

  Pour the weighed serving of food product into a cup or cups if the product is loose, for example, pasta shapes or dried fruit. This enables you to gain visual recognition of one serving of the product in terms of cupfuls for convenient future measuring without the use of kitchen scales.