Protein has approximately 4 calories per gram, and can be found in food like eggs, other dairy products made from milk such as cheeses,and yoghurt. In addition protein can be found in red meats such as beef steak and fish.



Moving on to carbohydrates the story is pretty much the same in terms of calories at around 4 calories per gram. But unlike protein which occurs only naturally (unless added as a supplement) carbs can be found both naturally and also in food that is processed or if you prefer man made.

Examples of natural carbohydrates include obvious ones such as potato's (in their various forms),bread,rice and oatmeal.Then we have processed foods or man made carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies,bagels and candies etc.

However Fat derives 9 calories from each gram, a full 225% more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates.Maybe that suprises you but it shouldn't really but few people understand the significance and even then it's not that simple.

There are 4 main types of fat which makes things a little more complicated these are Mono unsaturated fat, poly unsaturated fat, saturated fats (mainly derived from animals) and the man made trans fat's or trans fatty acids.

But your body needs a balanced diet, so you have to ensure your are getting adequate amounts of all 3 food groups to live a healthy life. If you maintain this balance correctly you will not become fat or have any problems with obesity.

If you choose to have a diet which has a high level of fat or indeed a high level of carbohydrate (especially man made carbs) you increase your chances dramatically of having problems with your weight. If you continue this way overtime you may end up extremely obese or as doctors use the term morbidly obese.

Fat is much more calorific than either proteins or carbohydrates so when planning a meal try to keep a good balance of both carbs and protein and a smaller amount of fat.

There are 4 different types of fat lets look at each in turn.

Mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA's). Mono unsaturated fats are found at room temperature normally in the form of vegetable oils,nuts and seeds.

Poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA's):- Poly unsaturated fats are are most commonly seen in vegetable oils, fish and seafoods. They are liquid or soft at room temperature.Essential fatty acids Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of polyunsaturated fats and are considered essential to our diet but our bodies can not make them so they must be obtained through the diet.

Saturated fats (SUFA's):- These are fats which are found predominantly in animal food sources such as meats, dairy products (those made from milk) such as butter and cheese and in some plants the most well know one being coconut and it's derivatives.

Trans fatty acids:- They are sometimes known as trans fats or hydrogenated fats or partially hydrogenated fats. This means that they have been chemically altered by the addition of hydrogen to make them solid at room temperature. Trans fats are found in foods such as some margarines, used extensively in the fast food industry and in processed snacks.

Just as a quick rule of thumb but it's by no means an exhaustive or totally fool proof system. If the fat comes from an animal such as the fats found in butter, pastry or shortening, it is saturated fat and if it comes from a plant such as olive oil, sunfower oil or nuts it is most likely unsaturated fat. Remember unsaturated fat is good fat.

If you want to be eating healthy you need to keep a good balance of all 3 main food groups.