The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010" suggests that carbohydrates make up 45 to 65 percent of the calories for adults, while protein should provide between 10 and 35 percent and fat should provide 20 to 35 percent of your calories. Food labels indicate the number of grams of each of these macronutrients and the percentages of the daily value a serving gives you, but they don't tell you the relative proportion of energy provided by carbohydrates, protein and fat.
Step 1
Multiply the grams of total carbohydrates and protein by 4 and the grams of total fat by 9. Each gram of carbohydrate and protein contains 4 calories and each gram of fat provides 9 calories. For example, in a packet of instant oatmeal, flavored with maple and brown sugar, containing 164 calories, 32.4 g of carbohydrates, 3.8 g of protein and 2.1 g of fat, the carbohydrates provide about 130 calories, the protein provides about 15 calories, and the fat provides about 19 calories.
Step 2
Divide by the amount of calories provided by each nutrient by the total calorie content of the food and multiply by 100. The result will correspond to the percentage of energy provided by each nutrient. For example, you can divide the calories provided by carbohydrates, or 130 calories, by the total calorie content, or 164 calories, and multiply by 100. The result is 79 percent, which means that 79 percent of the calories in the packet of oatmeal comes from carbs. Repeat the same calculations for protein and fat. In the case of the packet of oatmeal, you will find that protein provides 9 percent of the calories and fat provides 12 percent of the calories.
Step 3
Compare the percentages you obtained with the guidelines. The percentages you obtained reflect the proportion of the calories provided by each of the three main macronutrients, or protein, carbs and fat. For example, the bulk, or 79 percent, of the caloric energy found in a packet of oatmeal comes from carbohydrates and very little is provided by fat and protein. To balance your meal, you could add foods that contain fewer carbohydrates, but more protein and fat, such as cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, walnuts, almonds or peanut butter. Use these values to obtain the right proportion of each macronutrients at your meals.
Tips and Warnings
- Not all of your food choices will fit the recommended percentages of the macronutrients. What matters is that the energy you get from all the foods you consume on an average day correspond to these recommended ranges.
- Consult a registered dietitian for help making your diet fit the recommended percentages of macronutrients.
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