Do you know how to calculate the calories in food or how many calories you consume in a day? First of all, it is important to know what the calories in food mean. A calorie is a unit of energy, which you can obtain through the intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which make up food.
This energy is necessary for the functioning of all vital processes in our body, that is, we need it to breathe, think, digest food, sleep, keep our heart beating and all other functions.
One way to find out how many calories a certain food has is to look at the label on its packaging. There, you will find information about the total calories in the package or in a serving, which is usually given in grams (g) or milliliters (mL).
However, there is a very simple mathematical formula that you can use to calculate the amount of calories in foods. This is because you already know how many calories there are in one gram (1 gram) of carbohydrates, protein and fat, that is, in each type of macronutrient.
Having this understanding of the composition of foods and their calories can help you a lot in achieving your goal, whether it is to gain weight or lose fat.
See how to calculate the calories in food and the importance of this knowledge for your health, weight loss or muscle gain.
Calculating food calories
To find out how many calories are present in a food, simply multiply the quantity (in grams) of proteins, carbohydrates and fats that make up that food by their respective caloric values, which are fixed:
- 1 gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories
- 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories
- 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories
Let’s see how the amount of calories in a food is calculated in practice. To do this, we will use the example of a yogurt with a total weight of 170 grams:
- Check how many grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats are present in this 170g package of yogurt. To find out these values, simply consult the packaging label or the Brazilian food composition table (TACO).
- In this query, you will discover that yogurt contains: 25 g of carbohydrates, 5 g of proteins and 5.4 g of fats.
- To find out how many total calories this yogurt has, you will first need to calculate the calories for each macronutrient and then add these calories together.
- Each 1 g of carbohydrate contains 4 calories, so in 25 g of carbohydrate there are 100 calories (25 x 4 = 100 kcal).
- Each 1 g of protein contains 4 calories, so in 5 g of protein there are 20 calories (5 x 4 = 20 kcal).
- Each 1 g of fat contains 9 calories, so in 5.4 g of fat there are 48.6 calories (5.4 x 9 = 48.6).
- Now that you know how many calories each macronutrient provides to yogurt, just add the values and you will have the total calories: 100 kcal (carbohydrates) + 20 kcal (proteins) + 48.6 kcal (fats) = 168.6 kcal in yogurt.
Alternative ways to calculate food calories
A very practical way to calculate the calories present in the foods and drinks you consume during the day is to use apps such as MyFitnessPal, FatSecret and YAZIO. See other apps for weight loss and calorie counting .
You enter the quantity in grams or milliliters of the food or drink you are consuming, and the application calculates the amount of calories present in that portion.
So, using our yogurt example, if, instead of consuming the 170 g in the package, you wanted to consume only 80 g, you would simply enter that weight (80 g) into the app and it would automatically return the information about the amount of calories in that portion, which is 79.4 kcal.
As you add the foods you consume in each meal, the app will calculate the total amount of calories you are consuming and the relative calories of each macronutrient.
This way, in addition to having better control over your daily calorie intake, you can also know how much carbohydrates, proteins and fats you are consuming.
The other way to know the amount of calories present in food was mentioned above and is with the TACO table, which is the Brazilian food composition table, prepared by Unicamp.
The TACO table is very complete and provides information on the most consumed foods in the country, indicating the calories and macro and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins) present in these foods.
Why know the amount of calories in food?
Calories are responsible for providing energy to the human body and are therefore essential for our survival.
Knowing how many calories you consume each day is important, as consuming more than your daily needs can lead to overweight and obesity. If you consume less than you need, you may experience a lack of energy, feel unwell, and lose weight in the long term.
But knowing the amount of calories in food isn’t everything. You need to think about the quality of the calories you’re consuming, that is, their nutritional value.
There are foods with the same amount of calories, but with different nutritional values. For example, a 100 g portion of cooked rice has 124 kcal, while a 25 g portion of chocolate, which is 4 squares of a chocolate bar, has 136 kcal.
This doesn’t mean you can’t eat chocolate, but it’s important to think about how much that food will nourish your body and make you feel full at that moment. With this knowledge, you can include foods, as well as sweets and other treats, in the right quantities and at the most appropriate times.
Tips for reducing your calorie intake to lose weight
To lose weight, you need to achieve a daily calorie deficit , which is basically eating fewer calories than you burn, based on your basal metabolic rate. In general, to lose one pound per week, you need to eat 500 calories less than your daily requirement.
The ideal calorie deficit varies according to the objective, level of physical activity, body weight, height, sex, among other particular characteristics, which must be evaluated by a health professional, who may be a nutritionist or nutritionist.
From this, some changes can be established in your diet, aiming for a calorie deficit, with guidelines such as:
- Eat lean proteins: chicken breast, eggs, leaner cuts of beef and pork , fish, and low-fat milk. Protein-rich foods have fewer total calories and are more filling.
- Consume whole grains : brown rice, oats and whole grain bread, as they are foods rich in fiber, which promotes good intestinal function and reduces cholesterol and blood glucose levels.
- Eat fruit instead of sweets : Most of the time, replace sweets with fruit. Processed sweets are very dense in calories, that is, in a small portion of food, there are many calories. Fruits are naturally sweet and rich in vitamins, fiber and minerals, therefore, they have greater nutritional value. See how to include fruit in your diet to lose weight .
- Choose boiled or baked foods: As we have seen, each gram of fat has 9 calories. Therefore, replacing fried foods with boiled or baked foods can significantly reduce the amount of calories consumed at the end of the day.
Tips for increasing your calorie intake to gain weight
Just as it is recommended to seek a nutrition professional to lose weight, it is also recommended to gain weight, as this process cannot be done in any way, so as not to harm your health.
During this consultation, a physical assessment and your goals are carried out and, based on this, the nutritionist establishes a specific diet for your case.
Some recommendations normally given for weight gain are:
- Consume more protein: Protein is a key component in the formation of new muscle fibers, so your nutritionist will probably increase the amount of protein you should consume per day.
- Eat more fruit throughout the day: Increasing your intake of fruits such as bananas, persimmons, acai, avocados and coconuts can help you gain weight, as they are rich in calories. See which are the best fruits for gaining weight .
- Add healthy fats: A weight-gain diet is no excuse to make fast food a regular part of your diet. Fats are a great ally in weight gain, but it is essential to consume them from healthy sources , such as fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, peanut butter, and high-calorie fruits.
- Stay hydrated: It is recommended to drink 35 to 50 ml of water for every kilo of body weight. For example, a person weighing 70 kg needs to drink 2.5 to 3.5 liters of water per day, depending on their level of physical activity.
- Ingest liquid calories: Drinking protein shakes, vitamins , fruit juices, smoothies and high-calorie supplements can help you gain weight.