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Tag: Atwater factors

Explore our comprehensive collection of health articles in this category.

How Do I Calculate Calories in Dog Food? A Comprehensive Guide

4 min read
Over 50% of U.S. dogs are overweight or obese, a statistic that highlights the importance of accurate portion control. Understanding how to calculate the calories in your dog's food, also known as its Metabolizable Energy (ME), is a critical step toward maintaining your pet's ideal body weight and ensuring a long, healthy life.

How to Calculate Energy from Protein Using the Atwater System

4 min read
The average person needs roughly 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, but understanding its energy contribution is key for dietary planning. Learning how to calculate energy from protein is essential for accurately tracking macronutrients and managing your caloric intake effectively.

Who Created Calorie Counting and How Did It Become a Diet Staple?

4 min read
In the late 19th century, a Wesleyan University chemist named Wilbur Olin Atwater pioneered the scientific measurement of food energy, a concept that would later evolve into modern calorie counting. His work laid the foundation for the practice, which was then popularized for the masses by early 20th-century author Lulu Hunt Peters.

Where did calorie counting come from?

4 min read
The modern unit of a food calorie, or kilocalorie, was originally a unit of heat used for steam engines in the 19th century. The journey of this physics term into a household health metric reveals the surprising story of where did calorie counting come from and how it shaped dieting for over a century.

Are Carbs 4 Calories Per Gram? Understanding the Nutritional Truth

5 min read
According to the widely used Atwater system for calculating food energy, carbohydrates provide approximately 4 calories per gram, a standardized figure that simplifies nutritional information on food labels. This value is essential for understanding the energy content of the foods we consume, but the true picture involves more than a single number.

What is the calorie value of protein?

7 min read
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one gram of protein contains approximately 4 calories. This value is the physiological fuel value, which accounts for the energy our bodies can actually use, rather than the total energy contained within the food.

How to Convert Protein to Calories for Diet Planning

3 min read
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one gram of protein provides approximately 4 calories. Understanding this simple conversion is a fundamental skill for anyone seeking to manage their macronutrient intake, whether for weight loss, muscle gain, or general health.

How to Figure Out Calories Per Gram for Any Food

3 min read
According to the USDA, one gram of fat contains more than double the calories of one gram of protein or carbohydrates. This foundational principle is key to understanding how to figure out calories per gram for any food, whether you are reading a nutrition label or estimating the energy content of fresh produce.

What is the metabolizable fuel value?

3 min read
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the energy available to the body is less than a food's total energy, as it must account for losses during digestion and excretion. This usable energy is known as the metabolizable fuel value, a crucial concept in nutrition science that provides a more accurate measure of the body's energy intake from food.