Counting Macros? What Are They Anyway?

Apr 5

Understanding Macros: Are They Different from Calories?

Several years ago, someone told me they were “counting their macros.” This caught me off guard—not because I didn’t know what macros were, but because I wondered why they were counting them instead of simply tracking calories. They insisted that counting macros was easier and better, but here’s the thing: macros are calories.

What Are Macros?

In nutrition science, calories are a measure of energy, and they come from food and beverages. The energy in our food comes from four sources, three of which are macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The fourth? Alcohol.

Macronutrients, or “macros,” are called such because we need them in larger amounts compared to micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. Let’s break them down:

Carbohydrates (Carbs)

Carbohydrates are found in all plant-based foods—grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. If it comes from a plant, it contains carbs. Each gram of carbohydrates provides 4 calories.

For example, if a food contains 10 grams of carbs, that means it provides 40 calories from carbohydrates (10g x 4 calories/g = 40 calories).

A common misconception is that carbs only come from grains like bread and pasta. In reality, they are in everything from lettuce to lentils, bananas to beans, and sugar to sweet potatoes.

Protein

Protein is in all foods—even plants! Like carbohydrates, protein provides 4 calories per gram. Whether the protein comes from chicken, tofu, quinoa, or almonds, the calorie count remains the same – a gram of protein is still 4 calories.

For example, a food with 8 grams of protein contributes 32 calories from protein (8g x 4 calories/g = 32 calories).

Many people mistakenly believe that protein only comes from meat. However, grains, vegetables, dairy, nuts, beans, seeds, legumes, eggs, and all animal-based foods contain protein. Vegetarians and plant-based eaters can get plenty of protein without eating meat.

Fat

Fat is the most calorie-dense macronutrient, providing 9 calories per gram. Whether it comes from butter, olive oil, nuts, or fish, all fats have the same caloric value.

For example, one tablespoon of oil contains about 13 grams of fat, equating to 117 calories from fat (13g x 9 calories/g = 117 calories), and a tablespoon of butter has about 12 grams of fat, equaling about 108 calories (12g x 9 caloires/g = 108 calories), This is because (butter has a small amount of water—that the slight difference.

While there are healthier and less healthy fats, there is no such thing as “low-fat” fat or “low-fat” oil—something I’ve heard people mistakenly believe.

The Fourth Source of Calories: Alcohol

Unlike the three macronutrients, alcohol is not a nutrient but still provides 7 calories per gram.

So Why Count Macros Instead of Calories?

Here’s where things get tricky.

Most foods contain a mix of at least two, if not all three, macronutrients. For example:

Yogurt (2%) has carbs, fat, and protein. Skim or fat-free will have no fat – but still, it was once there.
Avocado contains fat, carbohydrates, and protein.
Peanut butter has all three macronutrients.
Meat has protein and fat. No carbohydrates.
Sugar (pure carbohydrate) and oil (pure fat) are the only foods containing one macronutrient.

So, if someone eats a balanced diet, they naturally consume all three macronutrients. This is why tracking macros is essentially tracking calories in a more complex way.

Do You Need to Track Macros?

If you’re eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, protein sources, healthy fats, grains, and dairy, your macronutrient intake typically balances itself out without needing to track every gram.

For most people, counting calories (if they track at all) is easier than breaking everything down into individual macros. However, some people—like bodybuilders, athletes, or those with specific health goals—may find tracking macros useful for fine-tuning their diet.

At the end of the day, though, nutrition shouldn’t be complicated. If you focus on eating various nutrient-dense foods, your macros (and calories) will naturally fall into place.

Real World Nutrition Refreshed: I am revitalizing and updating my archive of blogs and re-publishing them. Stay tuned as I review, update, refresh, and re-share these posts to provide you with even more valuable information on nutrition, health, and overall wellness—and keep things timely. A portion of this blog was initially posted on April 2, 2021, and is updated here.