Dietary Assessment

1. What are Calories and Macronutrients?

Calories are the amount of energy within food. Calories provide energy for daily activities, exercise, and basic bodily functions. Calories come from the food and beverages we consume. Food is often described as containing a certain number of calories and can be found on the nutrition label. Learning the makeup of each food can help us understand the importance of calories and energy. Foods are broken down into three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Carbohydrates are made up of sugar, starches, and fiber. These provide the most energy to the body and are the primary source of energy for the brain. Examples of carbohydrates are bread, pasta, tortillas, fruit, vegetables, juices, candy, and rice. When carbohydrates are evaluated calorically, they equal 4 calories per gram. This number is imperative for calculating the total amount of calories that come from carbohydrates in each food.

Proteins are the building blocks for the structure and function of cells. Protein sources are important to provide energy and rebuild muscles. Examples of protein sources include meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs. Protein sources can also be found in plant-based foods, such as beans, lentils, and meat alternatives like soy products. Protein is similar to carbohydrates because it also provides 4 calories per gram.

Fat is the third macronutrient that provides energy and is the most energy-dense. Sources of fat include oils, fish, nuts, and avocados. Fat can be broken down into multiple types, such as saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and trans fat. Saturated fat is found mostly in animal-based foods, such as beef and full-fat dairy. Unsaturated fat is found in most plant-based foods, such as olive oil, peanut oil, avocados, and peanut butter. Lastly, trans fat can be found in foods such as pizza, doughnuts, and cookies. Trans fats are not natural, but instead, are chemically produced to extend the shelf life of food. Fats provide 9 calories per gram. When looking at a nutrition label, the fat section is typically broken down into the overall fat with subgroups of unsaturated, saturated, and trans fat.

term to know

Nutrition Label

A label required on most packaged food in many countries, showing what nutrients and other ingredients are in the food.

2. Calculating Your Calories

There are a few ways to calculate how many calories are in each meal or serving. Let’s look at the most common way.

step by step

1. Identify the food and the amount presented. Food scales are a great way to know exactly how much food there is, but if that is not accessible, using measuring cups can help.
2. Find the nutritional value for each food item, checking the serving size to see if any math needs to be done to equal the amount that is in the meal. For example, if 1 cup of ice cream has 90 calories and you eat two cups, you have consumed 180 calories from the ice cream.
3. Combine the total amount in grams of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and multiply by the appropriate amount of calories per gram to indicate the total calories.

EXAMPLE

Here is a breakdown of a meal consisting of a slice of cheese and turkey on a tortilla.

• Cheese: 1g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 7g fat
• Turkey: 2g carbohydrates, 9g protein, 1g fat
• Tortilla: 19g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 3g fat

To find the total nutritional value, add up all of the grams of carbohydrates and protein and multiply by 4 for the total calories.

	Add up all of the grams of carbohydrates.
	Add up all the grams of protein.
	Add the total grams of carbohydrates and protein.
	Multiply by 4 for the total calories.

Next, add up all of the grams of fat, and multiply by 9 for the total calories from fat.

	Add up all the grams of fat.
	Multiply by 9 for the total calories.

Then, add up the calories from carbohydrates, protein, and fat to get the total amount of calories in the meal.

	Add up the total calories from carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
	Total calories.

This meal would be 263 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 19 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fat.

try it

Consider a meal made up of the following:

• 1 cup of cereal (15 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 1 gram fat)
• 1 cup of skim milk (18 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams of protein, 0 grams fat)

How many calories are in this breakfast meal?

This meal is 189 calories (132 calories from carbohydrates, 48 calories from protein, and 9 calories from fat).

3. Tracking Your Calories and Food Intake

Keeping track of your progress is a great way to stay motivated to exercise and eat healthy. Use the Start Simple with MyPlate app to set healthy eating goals, track your progress, and celebrate success. Tracking your food intake can help you learn more about your eating habits. The more regularly you track specific details about your food intake, the more accurate your information will be as you make decisions about goal setting and meal planning.

did you know

Research shows that for people actively interested in maintaining or losing weight, keeping a journal can be a very effective tool to help change behavior. In one study of nearly 1,700 participants, those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. Your food diary should include: what you are eating, how much you are eating, when you are eating, where you are, what else you are doing, and how you’re feeling while eating.

Food Log Example
Time	Place	Thoughts and Feelings	Foods and Beverages (And how prepared)	Amount
8:15 am	Home (kitchen, at table, in front of TV)	Hungry, in a hurry	Egg, poached Orange juice Toast Margarine	1 1/2 cup 1 slice 1 tsp
10:00 am	Work		Coffee	1 cup
12:30 pm	Home	Hungry, ate alone	Sandwich: Bread Roast beef Mayonnaise Lettuce, tomato Sugar cookies Low-fat (1%) milk	2 slices reg. 2 oz 1 tbsp lite 2 cups
6:00 pm	Restaurant (fast food, take out, sit down)	Enjoyed friends, got too full	Fried chicken Coleslaw Mashed potatoes Gravy Apple pie Lemonade	1 leg and thigh 1/2 cup 1 cup 1/4 cup 1 piece cups
10:00 pm	Movie	Tired, popcorn smelled good	Buttered popcorn Diet cola	2 cups 2 cups (16 oz)

As you start using a food diary, write down foods and beverages as soon as you consume them and note the size, type, and any other details. Smartphone apps are great resources and can send notifications and reminders to you to help you track consistently. When you have consistently tracked your food intake for several days, begin reflecting on how healthy your diet is, if you are missing any food groups, how often you eat on the go, and how you feel when you eat.

REFERENCES

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (n.d.). How to understand and use the nutrition facts label. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label

Macronutrients. NAL. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2022, from www.nal.usda.gov/legacy/fnic/macronutrients