Macro Calculator
Enter your daily energy or have it estimated, choose the carbohydrate and protein shares, and the tool works out carbohydrate, protein and fat in grams and checks your split against the reference intake ranges of the Turkish Dietary Guidelines (TÜBER 2022) and EFSA.
- Carbohydrate (55%)292 g/day
- Protein (15%)80 g/day
- Fat (30%)71 g/day
- Protein per kilogram1.23 g/kg/day
- Fibre, adequate intake (EFSA)25 g/day
- Free sugars, upper limit (WHO, share of energy < 10%)53 g/day
- Saturated fat, upper limit (WHO, share of energy ≤ 10%)24 g/day
Dietary reference values (TÜBER/EFSA/WHO): T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı, Türkiye Beslenme Rehberi (TÜBER) 2022 s. 12–13, Ek 1.2.1 s. 250–251, Ek 1.3.1 s. 252, Ek 1.4.1 s. 253; EFSA DRV Summary report 2017 (doi:10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.e15121) Table 2 s. 23, Table 3 s. 24, bölüm 3.2–3.4; WHO sugars 2015 s. 4; WHO SFA/TFA 2023 s. ix, xii; WHO total fat 2023 s. viii; FAO FNP 77 (2003) bölüm 3.5.1
Physical activity levels (FAO/WHO/UNU): FAO/WHO/UNU, Human energy requirements (Expert Consultation 17–24 Ekim 2001; FAO Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series 1, Roma 2004), Table 5.3 s. 38; orta değerler s. 39–40
TÜBER 2022 reference intake ranges in grams
How it is calculated
Macronutrients are the energy-giving carbohydrate, protein and fat. The Turkish Dietary Guidelines (TÜBER 2022) recommend that adults get 45–60% of their daily energy from carbohydrate, 20–35% from fat and 10–20% from protein; from age 65 the protein range is 12–20%. The carbohydrate and fat ranges are the same as the reference intake ranges of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); EFSA gives no percent-of-energy range for protein but a value per kilogram: the population reference intake (PRI) for adults is 0.83 g/kg a day. EFSA’s adequate intake of fibre for adults is 25 g a day. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends keeping free sugars under 10% of energy (strong recommendation) and reducing saturated fat to 10% and trans fat to 1%; EFSA and TÜBER say saturated and trans fat should be “as low as possible”. These ranges are references for healthy populations; there is no official split for athletes, weight loss or a ketogenic diet, so the tool offers no ready-made goal presets.
Grams = daily energy × share of energy ÷ energy density (carbohydrate and protein 4, fat 9 kcal/g)Daily energy (kcal/day): the value you enter, or the BMR × PAL estimate; BMR with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation (10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5 men / − 161 women), PAL the mid-point of the FAO/WHO/UNU category (1.55, 1.85 or 2.20). Shares of energy: carbohydrate and protein are your choice, fat is the rest (100 − carbohydrate − protein). The energy densities are the general Atwater factors: carbohydrate 4, protein 4, fat 9 kcal/g.- Choose your daily energy: an estimate from your lifestyle, or your own value such as a calorie target from your dietitian.
- Enter the carbohydrate and protein shares in percent; the fat share is the rest.
- Grams of each nutrient: energy × share ÷ 100 ÷ kcal/g, rounded to whole grams.
- Your shares are checked against the TÜBER 2022 ranges for your age (adults: carbohydrate 45–60%, protein 10–20%, fat 20–35%); a share outside its range gets a warning.
- Protein is divided by your weight and compared with EFSA’s population reference intake (PRI); reference values for fibre, free sugars and saturated fat are shown too.
Example
A 30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 65 kg, sedentary or lightly active: energy = (10 × 65 + 6.25 × 165 − 5 × 30 − 161) × 1.55 = 1,370.25 × 1.55 ≈ 2,124 kcal/day. 55% carbohydrate: 2,124 × 0.55 ÷ 4 = 292.05 ≈ 292 g; 15% protein: 2,124 × 0.15 ÷ 4 = 79.65 ≈ 80 g (79.65 ÷ 65 ≈ 1.23 g per kg); 30% fat: 2,124 × 0.30 ÷ 9 = 70.8 ≈ 71 g. Free sugar limit 2,124 × 0.10 ÷ 4 ≈ 53 g, saturated fat limit 2,124 × 0.10 ÷ 9 ≈ 24 g.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there no presets for weight loss, muscle gain or keto?
Goal-specific splits (such as “35% protein, 35% carbohydrate, 30% fat”) are not recommendations of TÜBER, EFSA or WHO and most sites give them without a source. Instead of showing them, the tool uses the official ranges; you can enter your own shares for a goal and get a warning for a share outside its range. Start a very low carbohydrate plan such as a ketogenic diet with your doctor or a dietitian.
Should protein be set as a percentage or as grams per kilogram?
Read them together. The share of energy shows the balance of the diet; grams per kilogram show what the body needs. EFSA set the average requirement of adults at 0.66 g/kg and the population reference intake (which covers the needs of nearly everyone) at 0.83 g/kg, and considers up to twice that safe in adults. The tool shows what your protein share comes to in g/kg and warns if it is below the PRI.
What are free sugars and why are they shown separately?
In WHO’s definition, free sugars are sugars added to foods and drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus the sugars in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates; the sugars within intact fruit and vegetables and the sugar in milk are not included. WHO strongly recommends keeping free sugars under 10% of daily energy and conditionally recommends going below 5%. The limit in the tool is part of your carbohydrate grams, not on top of them.
Is a fat share of 35% a problem?
20–35% is the adult range of TÜBER and EFSA. WHO’s 2023 guideline conditionally recommends that adults limit total fat to 30% of energy or less to prevent unhealthy weight gain, so the tool shows an info note above that value. The type of fat matters too: unsaturated fats should replace saturated and trans fats.
Why is 1 g of fat 9 kcal and carbohydrate and protein 4 kcal?
These are the general Atwater factors: one rounded value per macronutrient, worked out from the heat of combustion of foods minus losses in digestion and urine. TÜBER 2022 and FAO’s food energy report give the same values. The real value varies a little by food; the FAO report also gives food-specific factors.
Can I use it when pregnant, breastfeeding, for children or with a medical condition?
No, the tool is for healthy adults aged 18 and over. Energy and protein needs rise in pregnancy and breastfeeding (EFSA: +28 g protein a day in the third trimester, +19 g in the first six months of breastfeeding), and with conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease the split is set with a doctor. In these cases, ask your doctor or a dietitian.
Source
- Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health, Turkish Dietary Guidelines (TÜBER) 2022: section 2.1.2 p. 12 (1 g carbohydrate and protein 4, fat 9 kcal), p. 13 (adult ranges, trans fat ≤ 1%), Annex 1.3.1 p. 252 (reference intake ranges for protein, carbohydrate and fat; LA and ALA), Annex 1.4.1 p. 253 (carbohydrate 130 g, fibre, EPA+DHA, saturated fat “as low as possible”), Annex 1.2.1 pp. 250–251 (protein PRI)
- EFSA. Dietary Reference Values for nutrients: Summary report. EFSA Supporting Publication 2017:e15121: section 3.2 pp. 13–14 (carbohydrate 45–60%, 130 g, 50–100 g prevents ketosis, fibre 25 g), section 3.3 pp. 15–17 (fat 20–35%, saturated and trans fat as low as possible), section 3.4 pp. 18–19 (protein AR 0.66, PRI 0.83 g/kg, twice the PRI safe), Table 2 p. 23, Table 3 p. 24
- EFSA NDA Panel. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA Journal 2010;8(3):1462
- EFSA NDA Panel. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fats, including saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol. EFSA Journal 2010;8(3):1461
- EFSA NDA Panel. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for protein. EFSA Journal 2012;10(2):2557
- WHO. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva 2015, p. 4 (free sugars < 10% strong, < 5% conditional recommendation; definition of free sugars), p. 7 (sugars within intact fruit and vegetables and milk sugars outside the recommendations)
- WHO. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline. Geneva 2023, executive summary p. ix (saturated fat 10%) and p. xii (trans fat 1%)
- WHO. Total fat intake for the prevention of unhealthy weight gain in adults and children: WHO guideline. Geneva 2023, executive summary p. viii (total fat ≤ 30% in adults, conditional recommendation)
- FAO. Food energy – methods of analysis and conversion factors. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 77, Rome 2003, section 3.5.1 (general Atwater factors: protein and carbohydrate 17 kJ/g = 4 kcal/g, fat 37 kJ/g = 9 kcal/g)
- FAO/WHO/UNU. Human energy requirements. FAO Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series 1, Rome 2004: Table 5.3 p. 38 (PAL categories), sections 5.3.2 and 5.4.1 pp. 39–40 (category mid-points)
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51(2):241–7, abstract (BMR equation of the energy estimate, ages 19–78)