Calorie Calculator - Macro nutrients 

Accurately calculate your ratios of carbohydrate, protein, and fat for a given daily Calorie amount. Select from a number of common diet ratios (such as low fat, low carb, or Zone diet). Results show exact number of Calorie and grams required for each nutrient.

Nutrient Calculator - What Does It Do?

Once you have figured out your ideal daily calorie intake, you can go further, and convert this into grams of food. Food can be grouped into Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Various diets propose different ratios for these 'macro-nutrients'.

If you're unsure - select a Moderate Ratio - feel free to adjust the percentages manually if you wish. Depending on how many meals a day you choose, the calculator will tell you how many grams you should be eating. Note that more frequent meals means a more consistent energy level and a boosted metabolism.

To discover the amounts of nutrient that food contains, you need access to a food database - such as those on the diet software page, or read the labels on the food item itself. This will tell you how many grams of each nutrient is present in a serving. From here you can completely plan out your meals. Many people are surprised to learn how many grams of carbohydrateand fat are present in their foods.

Do Macro-Nutrients Matter?

There is a difference of opinion on this. Some feel that only calories count, whilst others argue that distribution of nutrients is what is important. The reality is - you must find what works for you - and to do this you have to start somewhere! If it doesn't work - try something else.

Tom Venuto's ebook Burn The Fat has a considerable section about macro nutrient ratios and calories. His opinion is that extremes (such as very low carb, and very low fat, are only appropriate for a small section of the population). Most people find that extreme restrictions are very hard to maintain over the long-term. During the low-carb fad of the mid 2000s many people restricted carbohydrate foods, only to find they were irritable, and abandond the restriction in increasing numbers. However, research has borne out the fact that many different kinds of diets can and do work -- the issue is around maintenance, and whether the diet is workable in everyday life (families, socialising, etc).

Getting It In Context

Here's a quick look at what the gram values are for some common items: (note that we are not delving into the nutritional quality aspects here - such as sodium, calcium, breakdown of fats, ingredients etc...)

The fat in a Big Mac and Fries can contain enough fat for an entire days intake!