Everything that you shove into your mouth needs to be somehow processed. A calorie is a measurement of energy. Foods have been studied to determine how many calories are contributed to your energy stores when you eat. The three basic macronutrient types are
- protein (4 calories per gram)
- carbohydrate (also 4 calories per gram)
- dietary fat (9 calories per gram)
- note that alcohol contributes 7 calories per gram
By quantifying the foods that you eat in a single meal, or during a single day, you can estimate how much activity you must put your body through in order to keep from storing fat. Another way to look at it is that you define your meals/eating-patterns so that you provide your body with just the right amount of fuel to get the job done, while building/maintaining a strong and healthy body.
The way that the body uses each of the three macronutrients is different. Fat, for example, doesn't contribute to the development of lean body mass in the same way that protein does. 400 calories of dietary fat doesn't equal 400 calories of
dietary protein. The same holds true for [the numerous forms of] carbohydrates. Developing a healthy
macronutrient balance of the foods that you eat can help support your fitness/sports goals.
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