HOW TO COUNT CALORIES

1

Locate the nutrition facts on the item’s packaging. In many parts of the world, food manufacturers are required by law to provide nutritional information on packaged food products. This information is presented in the form of a chart, which can usually be found on the back or side of the package. If you’re curious about what you’re eating, the nutrition facts label is where you  look first.

2 Note the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat contained in the item. When assessing a food’s nutritional value, you should look at 3 things: protein, carbs, and fat. These macronutrients account for all of the calories in the item (aside from calories from alcohol). As a result, the exact amount of each macronutrient indicates what proportion of the total calories they make up.

• Alcohol also contains a significant number of calories. Each gram of alcohol is about 7 calories.

3

Multiply each macronutrient by its caloric equivalent. A gram of protein is estimated to contain about 4 calories. A gram of carbohydrates also has 4, and a gram of fat is worth a whopping 9 calories. If the item you’re eating contains 20g of protein, 35g of carbs, and 15g of fat, this means you would multiply 20x4, 35x4, and 15x9 to find the number of calories contributed by each macronutrient—80, 140, and 135, respectively.

4

Total the calories for each macronutrient. Now that you know how the calories are divided up, add together each individual count to get the combined calorie count for one serving of the item. Going off the previous example, 80 + 140 + 135 = 355 calories. This number should correspond with the estimate displayed on the item’s packaging

5

Take serving size into account. Be aware that the figures for both the calories and macronutrients represented in the nutritional facts only indicate a single recommended serving. If there are multiple servings included in the package, the total number of calories will actually be much higher. This can be an important fact to keep in mind if you’re tracking calories as part of a diet or exercise plan.