Nutrition words you can use at the table.
Start with the amount of food the number describes. These definitions help you read a label or a recipe estimate; they do not set a clinical diet.
Serving size and portion
A serving size is the amount described by a label or recipe. Your portion is the amount you actually prepare or eat. If a label gives values for 40 g and you use 60 g, multiply its values by 1.5. A recipe written for one serving does not establish the right portion for every person.
Protein
Protein supplies amino acids used by the body. Eggs, dairy, fish, poultry, beans, lentils and tofu are ordinary food sources. Food weight is different from protein weight: 100 g of a food does not mean 100 g of protein.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate includes sugars, starches and fiber. Grains, beans, fruit and vegetables contribute different amounts and combinations. Check the actual food and its prepared weight before estimating a bowl.
Fat
Fat contributes energy and has different forms. Measured oil, nuts, seeds and fat within other foods all count in a meal estimate. In common energy arithmetic, protein and carbohydrate provide about 4 kcal per gram and fat about 9.
Fiber and net carbohydrate
Dietary fiber has different properties, and foods usually contain a mixture. “Net carbohydrate” commonly subtracts fiber from total carbohydrate, but methods and labeling rules differ. Use the approach specified by your clinician or plan rather than switching methods to make a meal appear to fit.
Calories and kilocalories
The Calories shown on US food labels refer to kilocalories, abbreviated kcal. A recipe estimate depends on the stated quantities, composition records, cooking yield and additions. It is not a laboratory measurement of your plate.
Daily Value
Percent Daily Value compares a stated serving with a label reference. FDA guidance uses 5% DV or less as low and 20% or more as high. It does not describe the percentage of an ingredient in the food or prescribe a personal target.
Raw and cooked weight
Water gain or loss changes food weight. Match a cooked-rice portion to a cooked-rice entry rather than using the same grams of dry grain. Weigh a recipe batch and its portions consistently.
Put the words to use
Open a current recipe, check its actual ingredients, then organize it in the weekly planner. The macro calculator explains arithmetic. For a reusable guide, browse the six US$9 cooking books and their free three-page samples.
Sources
FDA Nutrition Facts guidance · USDA National Agricultural Library: macronutrients