Weight-Loss Is this all that contains calories?
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Weight-Loss
Jeanette401
New member
Also, fiber is counted as a carb, but rarely has 4 calories per gram because it's not all burned into energy. However, it often has some calories, depending on how much is actually digested into energy.
So called sugar alcohols or polyols are also outliers for the same reason. They're less than 4 calories per gram, but the actual amount depends on the specifics. Maltitol, Xylitol, Erithrytol all have different calories per gram.
So called sugar alcohols or polyols are also outliers for the same reason. They're less than 4 calories per gram, but the actual amount depends on the specifics. Maltitol, Xylitol, Erithrytol all have different calories per gram.
Omega
Moderator
You have to remember that most things will divide out into having content which is made up of one or more of these nutrients. If you dont think it contains any of these - dont assume that there are no calories. This is a scientific explanation.
Some things are obvious - but a lot of things are not so obvious.
It takes a tool like fitday to break it all down so that you see how it is made up of these.
Oops, I didn't see this post. I just a posted a question about fiber lol. Sorry.
Anyways, thank you. I wasn't aware of these alcohols and the fact they contained calories.
So this is pertty much it? I mean all the nutrients that could contain calories?
Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your answers.
KaraCooks
New member
Hey. I'm not sure you quite get the concept of calories as they relate to food and nutrients.
All food and drink contains calories. It's a unit of measurement that applies to EVERYTHING you consume.
Nutrients are components of food, and each type of nutrients has a different calorie balance, but you can't really look at it in terms of "nutrients containing calories" because then you start excluding things on the mistaken idea that non-nutritious things (like alcohol) don't have calories.
You keep trying to break food and nutrients out into being only one thing and it doesn't work that way.
Nothing is JUST fiber or JUST carbs or JUST protein.
For example, a serving of oats is 70% carbs, 14% protein and 16% fats. They contain 5g of fiber.
All of those things are components ofthat kind of food and come to 170 calories per serving.
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Hey. I'm not sure you quite get the concept of calories as they relate to food and nutrients.
All food and drink contains calories. It's a unit of measurement that applies to EVERYTHING you consume.
Nutrients are components of food, and each type of nutrients has a different calorie balance, but you can't really look at it in terms of "nutrients containing calories" because then you start excluding things on the mistaken idea that non-nutritious things (like alcohol) don't have calories.
You keep trying to break food and nutrients out into being only one thing and it doesn't work that way.
Nothing is JUST fiber or JUST carbs or JUST protein.
For example, a serving of oats is 70% carbs, 14% protein and 16% fats. They contain 5g of fiber.
All of those things are components ofthat kind of food and come to 170 calories per serving.
Hey thanks Kara, your response to my other post really explained everything to me that I wasn't gasping in my book.
Yes, I understand that each nutrient is only one of the many nutrients that make up a serving of food. I'm sorry, I should have been more clear in my explanations so not to confuse anyone. I was trying to get a more deeper understanding of calories/macronutrients relations. In my nutrition book it listed only those 3 nutrients that contained calories. I wanted to confirm that there are no other things that contribute to calories.
However, after reading the very helpful and informative replies here it would seems there are more then just those three components that contribute to calories. For example the polyops or fiber that contain calories(perhaps their not nutrients but I still wished to know about them because they produced calories).
Thank again everyone for your answers.
Jeanette401
New member
If it helps, it's not really the types of nutrients that contain calories it's the food.
Then the food is divided into four major categories:
Protein, fat, alcohol and carbs.
Carbs are the big catchall - anything that's not protein, alcohol or fat is called a carb.
Most carbs are 4 calories per gram as you posted. However, there are subsets - such as fiber and sugar alcohols that contain fewer calories than that.
Proteins and fat are pretty much static with 4g per calorie and 9g per calorie.
Fiber and sugar alcohols are the only ones that right now are listed on the nutrition panel of foods.
The nutritional panel might look like:
Calories per serving: 60
Calories from Fat: 36
Fat: 4 grams
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 9g
Sugars: 1g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar Alcohols: 4g
Protein: 2g
Then all the vitamins etc. So if you just assumed carbohydrates were 4 cal per, you'd expect it to be 80 calories. It's not because the 6g of fiber and sugar alcohols don't have as many calories per gram as your 'standard' carb.
Right now fiber and sugar alcohols are the only non-standard carb that I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean they won't come up with more in the future, or re-classify them in some way.
Hope that helps!
Then the food is divided into four major categories:
Protein, fat, alcohol and carbs.
Carbs are the big catchall - anything that's not protein, alcohol or fat is called a carb.
Most carbs are 4 calories per gram as you posted. However, there are subsets - such as fiber and sugar alcohols that contain fewer calories than that.
Proteins and fat are pretty much static with 4g per calorie and 9g per calorie.
Fiber and sugar alcohols are the only ones that right now are listed on the nutrition panel of foods.
The nutritional panel might look like:
Calories per serving: 60
Calories from Fat: 36
Fat: 4 grams
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 9g
Sugars: 1g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar Alcohols: 4g
Protein: 2g
Then all the vitamins etc. So if you just assumed carbohydrates were 4 cal per, you'd expect it to be 80 calories. It's not because the 6g of fiber and sugar alcohols don't have as many calories per gram as your 'standard' carb.
Right now fiber and sugar alcohols are the only non-standard carb that I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean they won't come up with more in the future, or re-classify them in some way.
Hope that helps!