Why per 100 g inputs

Food labels and major databases standardize nutrition as “per 100 g”. This makes scaling clean: weigh your ingredient, multiply by the per 100 g value, then divide by 100. It avoids confusion from inconsistent serving sizes between brands or recipes. When you enter everything in grams, totals stay comparable across dishes.

Macronutrients basics

Macronutrients create most of the energy in a recipe. Carbohydrates and protein provide about 4 kcal per gram, while fat provides about 9 kcal per gram. Because fat is energy dense, even small amounts of oil, butter, nuts, or cheese can swing results a lot. The calculator sums grams of each macro and estimates calorie share to show your ratio clearly.

Micronutrients notes

Vitamins and minerals matter for health, but they are harder to estimate precisely in homemade cooking. Values vary by cultivar, season, storage, and preparation. When the ingredient database includes vitamin or mineral names, the tool collects them as a reference list. For real clinical tracking, rely on packaged labels or professional tools.

Cooking effects

Cooking does not destroy calories, but it changes weight. Water loss makes nutrients per gram look higher after cooking. Frying adds fat. Grilling may drip fat away. Boiling usually adds none unless you keep the cooking liquid. The best practice is to weigh ingredients as you cook and count any oils or sauces that remain in the dish.

Accuracy tips

A kitchen scale is the single biggest accuracy upgrade. Tare your bowl, add ingredients gradually, and record grams. For oils and nut butters, measure to the gram. If you only know volume, convert to grams using reliable charts for that ingredient, since spoon sizes vary a lot depending on density.

Worked example

Suppose a bowl recipe makes 2 servings. You add cooked rice 200 g, chicken 150 g, avocado 60 g, and olive oil 10 g. After selecting each ingredient from suggestions (or manual per 100 g values), the calculator sums calories and macros. If totals are 820 kcal, 95 g carbs, 62 g protein, and 28 g fat, then per serving is about 410 kcal, 47.5 g carbs, 31 g protein, 14 g fat. The macro ratio chart lets you see if fat is dominating or if protein is near your goal.

Using ratios for diets

Ratios help you align recipes with your approach. A high protein bowl can help muscle maintenance. A lower carb plate may fit some glucose management plans. Higher fat ratios can appear in keto style cooking. What matters most is consistency across days, so recording a few staple recipes gives you predictable anchors.

Interpreting the top 5 chart

The top 5 chart answers “what drives my numbers most?” Toggle between calories, carbs, protein, and fat. If one ingredient dominates protein, that is your lever for boosting or reducing the ratio. If oil dominates fat, correcting that line changes the dish quickly.

Assumptions and what is not included

• Energy is shown as kcal or kJ. Macro grams do not change with that toggle.
• Vitamin and mineral lists are informational only, not clinical dosing.
• Accuracy depends on your weighing and the values you enter.
• Databases may differ from your brand’s label. Override when needed.

References

USDA FoodData Central | Wikipedia Nutrition | Wikipedia Food energy