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This article was co-authored by Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT. Julian Arana is a Personal Trainer and the Founder of B-Fit Training Studios, a personal training and wellness set of studios based in Miami, Florida. Julian has over 12 years of personal training and coaching experience. He is a certified personal trainer (CPT) by the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). He has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Florida International University and an MS in Exercise Physiology specializing in strength and conditioning from the University of Miami.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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Learning how to count calories is a great way to help you achieve a healthy diet. While most food labels list the number of calories contained in their products, they oftentimes do not list the breakdown of which specific nutrients those calories come from. By understanding the difference between calories and grams, and learning the conversion rate, you can easily calculate how many calories are in specific nutrients.
Gram to Calories Conversion: A Quick Guide
- Fat Grams to Calories: Multiply the fat grams by 9 to calculate the calories.
- Carb Grams to Calories: Multiply the carb grams by 4 to calculate the calories.
- Protein Grams to Calories: Multiply the number of protein grams by 4 to calculate the calories.
Steps
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![Step 1 Look at the nutrition label.]()
Look at the nutrition label. Most food labels will list how many grams of fat there are for each serving of that specific product. This is how you will calculate the calories.[1] -
![Step 2 Multiply the fat grams by nine.]()
Multiply the fat grams by nine. Every gram of fat contains nine calories.[2] To figure out how many calories there are in the fat content, simply multiple the fat grams by nine.[3]- For example, if there are ten grams of fat, you would multiple ten grams of fat by nine calories, for a total of 90 calories. This is how many calories there are in the fat grams.
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![Step 3 Calculate how many calories there are in the entire product.]()
Calculate how many calories there are in the entire product. To figure out how many total calories there are in the fat content of a product, multiply the original number you received before, by the amount of servings there are on the label.[4]- If a label states there are three servings, you would then multiply 90 by three, for a total of 270 calories.
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![Step 1 Know that a carbohydrate is an organic compound.]()
Know that a carbohydrate is an organic compound. Carbohydrates are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They always contain calories (4 per gram), but calories do not automatically mean there are carbohydrates, because calories are in other macro-nutrients.[5] -
![Step 2 Check the nutrition label.]()
Check the nutrition label. You will see how many grams of carbohydrates there are per serving. Carbohydrates have four calories per gram. Multiply the number of carbohydrates by four to figure out how many calories there are.[6]- For example, if a product had nine grams of carbohydrates, you would use the equation (9 x 4) to get a total of 36 calories. You would use four as your multiplier because there are four calories in every one gram of carbohydrate.
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![Step 3 Find out the number of calories that come from protein.]()
Find out the number of calories that come from protein. Proteins are also listed in grams on food labels. Just like carbohydrates, protein carries four calories per gram. Again, multiply the number of protein grams by four to receive the number of calories.[7]
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![Step 1 Realize the difference between a gram and a calorie.]()
Realize the difference between a gram and a calorie. A gram is a metric unit of weight that is equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.[8] A calorie is a unit of energy that people receive from food. One pound of body fat is equal to about 3500 calories.- A gram and a calorie are different units of measure that can't be converted into one another.
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![Step 2 Find out for which energy source you want to measure the calories.]()
Find out for which energy source you want to measure the calories. The quantity of calories per gram of food is dependent upon its ratio of macro-nutrients. The human body can derive energy (employ calories) from three main macro-nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.[9]- You can't weigh food and convert the grams into calories. You have to know how many calories there are in a specific type of macro-nutrient gram to calculate the total calories in it.
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![Step 3 Multiply the number of grams by the conversion number.]()
Multiply the number of grams by the conversion number. Look on the label of the food your want to calculate the calories for. Each nutrient will be listed in grams. Once you find the one you are looking for, you can multiply that number by the number of calories that specific nutrient has in each gram.[10]
Grams to Calories Calculator and Daily Tracker
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow many calories are in 71 grams of sugar?
PurplecakecarolineCommunity AnswerThere are 274.77 calories in 71 grams of sugar. There are 3.87 calories in one gram of sugar, so to calculate the number of calories in 71 grams of sugar, multiply 3.87 and 71. -
QuestionHow do I convert sugar grams into calories?
ScintillacatelepsyCommunity AnswerOne gram of sugar contains 3.87 calories, so multiply the grams of sugar by 3.87 (or just 4 if you're not looking to be that precise). -
QuestionHow do I find out the amount of calories in a package of food?
Community AnswerMost packaged foods have nutrition facts on them. Look for a white rectangle with black text on it. Usually it will be on the back of a package of food or the side, if it is a box. There is a lot of information but calories is usually near the top.
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/nutrition-facts-and-food-labels/the-basics-of-the-nutrition-facts-label
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/4182-fat-and-calories
- ↑ https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/how-many-calories-are-one-gram-fat-carbohydrate-or-protein
- ↑ https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label
- ↑ https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_Introductory_Biology_(CK-12)/01%3A_Introduction_to_Biology/1.10%3A_Carbohydrates
- ↑ https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/how-many-calories-are-one-gram-fat-carbohydrate-or-protein
- ↑ https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/how-many-calories-are-one-gram-fat-carbohydrate-or-protein
- ↑ http://www.convertunits.com/from/gram/to/calorie
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/4182-fat-and-calories
About This Article
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.
If you want to convert grams to calories, remember that there are 9 calories in a gram of fat, and 4 calories in a gram of carbohydrates or protein. For example if a food has 10 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein, then it would have 90 calories from fat, 56 from carbs, and 12 from protein. Read more to learn why calories and grams have such an odd relationship.
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"It provided exactly what I needed to know, how to convert the amount of grams in sugar to calories. The extra bonus is the same information about carbs and fat. The pictures were another bonus. They're big, bold, and colorful. Thank you."..." more
