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Why don't the macros add up in certain foods?
Hey guys! Check out the picture.
The percentages we see are the assumed macros in a given food (in this case that food is hummus). But when you type in say, “1 cup of hummus”, the ratio in GRAMS of fat/carb/pro for 1 cup of hummus doesn’t equal those percentage macros.
Any amount of hummus SHOULD be 41%/45%/14% fat/carb/pro. But when I type in 1 cup, it says that 1 cup is comprised of 21g/33.2g/17.6g fat/carb/pro, which equals 29%/46%/24% in the macros. Those percentages aren’t the same! But they should be! What am I missing?
Answers
Hello @mmmm ,
The percentages represent the % of calories from each macro. For example that would mean that 41% of calories are from fat.
Generally you can use the rule that carbs and protein are 4 kcals per gram, and fat is 9 kcals per gram.
However, the calories and the macronutrient values will be a bit off because each food is different in the actual amount of energy (calories) it contains. They are close but there is better data on some foods and we use that in the calculations for the macronutrients.
For example, some carbs are 3.8, 4.1, 4.3 kcals per gram etc. Same is true for protein and fats. That is why there will be a discrepancy, when our data is more accurate then the 4-4-9 crude estimation.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Marie-Eve
Marie-Eve
cronometer.com
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