Nutrition Label Calculator

Calories come from three macronutrients: Protein provides 4 kcal/g, Carbohydrates provide 4 kcal/g, Fat provides 9 kcal/g. Alcohol provides 7 kcal/g but isn't on standard nutrition labels. This is why high-fat foods like nuts and oils are calorie-dense.

% Daily Value (%DV) shows how much a nutrient in a serving contributes to a 2,000-calorie daily diet. 5% or less is considered low; 20% or more is high. The 2,000-calorie reference is an average — individual needs vary by age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.

Total sugars includes all sugars — both naturally occurring (like fructose in fruit or lactose in milk) and added sugars. Added sugars are sugars added during processing. As of 2020, US FDA-required labels must list added sugars separately. WHO recommends added sugars stay under 10% of daily calories.

Trans fats are industrially produced (partially hydrogenated oils) that raise LDL (bad) cholesterol while lowering HDL (good) cholesterol. They're strongly linked to heart disease. The FDA effectively banned artificial trans fats in 2018, but naturally occurring trans fats from ruminants still appear in small amounts in dairy and beef.