Before I start this article I want you to know that I AM NOT a nutritionist.  I'm writing about this topic because I have learned a lot and I want to alleviate some confusion about calories and nutrition for you.  There are tons of articles written on how many calories you need per day, how to calorie count, food apps, programs, etc.  But I feel no one asks the more important question of, "Do calories and nutrition even go hand in hand?"  This day in age it's so easy to get consumed by a topic that sometimes it's hard to step back and wonder if it's really important in the first place.

How are calories even calculated?  Ok here's the simple break down.

1g of Fat = 9 cal

1g of Carbs = 4 cal

1g of Protein = 4 cal

1g of Alcohol = 7 cal

EXAMPLE:  Assuming your food has..

3g of fat | 20g of carbs | 10g of protein

3 x 9(cal)  +  20 x 4(cal)  +  10 x 4(cal) = 

27 + 80 + 40 = 

147 calories

Calories are just a mathematical equation of the fats, carbs and proteins listed on the supplement facts.  

Ok great, the label did all the work for me, now can I just eat my 2000-ish calories a day and be on my way to a healthier life? No you can't because there a hundreds of different ways for food to have 147 calories but have way different ratios of fats/ carbs/ proteins in them!  We could just as easily had tons of fat, and then just a few carbs and proteins.  

 BUT, we're still missing a vital part of this entire equation!!!  So far all we've done is a little bit of math.

What are the ingredients in your food?  If I put a piece of plastic in a bag and told you it had no fat, no carbs, and 50g of protein would you eat it?  I hope not because it's made of plastic!  This is why I don't even look at the calories in food anymore.  For my current fitness level and lifestyle, it doesn't have as much of an impact on me as the other things do, I prioritize!  This is the reason nutritionists say to read all packaging the exact opposite way it was intended.  Instead of reading front (top to bottom) then back (top to bottom), read it the exact opposite!

CONCLUSION:

There are plenty of topics on calories, proteins, carbs, fats, ratios, counting, etc; but in my opinion ingredients always come first.  Make sure you know what you're putting in your body before worrying about how many calories it has.  Once you master healthier, single ingredients foods, then take it to the next level of worrying about how many fats/ carbs/ and proteins you need to be consuming for your lifestyle.  Remember this shouldn't be complicated so take it one step at a time!  Hope this helps!