Understanding Macronutrients
Each food is made up of three main macronutrients: carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. These macronutrients each provide a certain number of calories per gram:
-
Carbohydrates : 4 kcal par gramme
-
Proteins : 4 kcal par gramme
-
Lipids : 9 kcal par gramme
To calculate the calories in a food, it is therefore important to know how much of each macronutrient it contains. You can usually find this information on food labels or by consulting online nutritional databases.
Using Food Labels
Most processed or packaged foods display nutrition labels. These labels specify the carbohydrate, fat, and protein content per serving, as well as the total calories. Example : If a food contains 10 g of carbohydrate, 5 g of protein, and 2 g of fat per serving, you can calculate the calories as follows:
-
Glucides : 10 g x 4 kcal = 40 kcal
-
Protéines : 5 g x 4 kcal = 20 kcal
-
Lipids: 2 g x 9 kcal = 18 kcal The total would therefore be 78 kcal for one portion.
Weighing unpackaged foods
For unpackaged foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.), it is often necessary to weigh the portions. A kitchen scale will allow you to accurately measure the amount of food consumed. Then, you can look up the nutritional value of the food in applications (…)
- Closer
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck: reunited with their children after divorce, and it got heated!
“Aware of the dangers”: don’t expect Laurent Delahousse to confide about Alice Taglioni
These 3 drinks that prevent you from sleeping
“Better to keep quiet!”: this message from Vianney about Gisèle Pelicot has sparked a lively controversy
Aya Nakamura: This little secret revealed about her performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics
