There are only four sources of calories in your diet: carbohydrates, protein, fat and alcohol. Because calories from alcohol don't contribute to your overall nutrition, they are left out when discussing macronutrients. Therefore, the sum of the percentages of calories from carbohydrates, protein and fat equals 100 percent of your daily caloric intake. There are four calories in each gram of carbohydrate and protein and nine calories in each gram of fat. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults eat between 45 and 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates; 10 and 35 percent of calories from protein; and 20 and 35 percent of calories from fat, with fewer than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat.
Step 1
Calculate the total number of calories you consumed all day.
Step 2
Calculate the number of grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat.
Step 3
Multiply the number of grams of carbohydrates by four to calculate calories from carbohydrates. For example, if you ate 295 g of carbohydrates, 1,180 of your daily calories came from carbohydrates because 295 multiplied by 4 equals 1,180.
Step 4
Divide the calories from carbohydrates by the total calories. For example, if your total caloric intake was 1,800 calories, you ate about 65.6 percent of your calories from carbohydrates; 1,180 divided by 1,800 equals 0.6555.
Step 5
Multiply the number of grams of protein by four to calculate the number of calories from protein. For example, if you ate 110 g of protein, 440 of your daily calories came from protein; 110 multiplied by 4 equals 440.
Step 6
Divide the calories from protein by total calories. For example, 440 calories from protein divided by 1,800 total calories equals 0.2444, or about 24.4 percent of calories from protein.
Step 7
Multiply the number of grams of fat by nine to calculate calories from fat. For example, 20 g of fat mutiplied by 9 calories per gram equals 180 calories from fat.
Step 8
Divide the calories from fat by total calories. For example, 180 divided by 1,800 equals 0.10, or 10 percent of calories from fat.
Tips and Warnings
- You can also calculate the percentages of carbohydrates, protein and fat in a single food or meal by using the nutritional information from that food.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
- Food diary, optional
References
- USDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans: 2010; December 2010
- "Krause's Food and Nutrition Therapy: 12th Edition"; L. Kathleen Mahan, et al.; 2008
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