Eating a balanced diet is not always as easy as it sounds. If you don't eat enough of the right foods, your body won't have the energy to function properly. Eat too much and you run the risk of gaining weight and becoming obese. About one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Calculating the fat and calorie content of foods will help you maintain a healthy diet and avoid diseases associated with high fat and high calories such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Calorie Content on Labels
Calories are a measurement of how much energy your body gets from food. The number of calories may be displayed on the package. Packaged foods must now have a label that displays the nutritional value of the food, including fat and calorie information along with serving sizes.
Serving Sizes
You should always check serving size first and decide how many servings you will eat. Then multiply the number of servings by the number of calories per serving to find out how many calories you will be taking in.
Calories and Fat in Fresh Food
Many fresh foods, like vegetables and fruit, are not packaged, so nutritional information is not displayed. You will need to research each food or use a calculator that determines fat and calories per portion. Use an online calculator, like the one offered by the United States Department of Agriculture, to learn the amount of calories and fat contained in each serving.
Healthy Amounts of Fat
Fats are necessary for building nerve tissue, like the brain, and for producing hormones used by the body. The Department of Health and Human Services suggests limiting fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of your total daily calories.
Fat Content on Labels
Food manufacturers list the amount of fat on the packaging, but it is sometimes difficult to calculate just how much fat is in a product based on the information on the label. You may need to calculate the percentage of daily allowance from fat based on the number of calories from fat a food contains as listed on a product label. To perform this calculation, simply divide the calories from fat by the total number of calories. For example, a package of cookies contains 300 calories, and 60 of those calories are from fat. You would divide 60 by 300 and then multiply by 100; these cookies get 20 percent of their calories from fat.
Trans Fats and Saturated Fat
Read the nutritional labels carefully to find the amount of trans fats or unsaturated fats for each serving. Saturated fats are those found in animal products, such as meat, eggs and dairy products. Companies manufacture trans fats by injecting hydrogen into vegetable oil to stabilize the product, extend its shelf life and give the food a less greasy texture. MayoClinic.com suggests you get no more than 10 percent of your daily calories from saturated fats, and the American Heart Association suggests you get no more than 1 percent of your calories from trans fat.
References
- Journal of the American Medical Association: Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008
- Department of Health and Human Services: Take Charge of Your Health
- MayoClinic.com: High Cholesterol
- United States Department of Agriculture: Search the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
Member Comments