What is a calorie chart?

A calorie chart is a table that provides the estimated number of calories in a food item. Many calorie charts also include information about protein, fat and carbohydrate content.

All food has calories. To maintain a healthy weight, the body must burn more calories than are taken in. Fat has nine calories per gram, while carbohydrates and proteins have four calories per gram. Alcohol has seven calories per gram. Many dishes do not fit into one food group, and some calorie charts help break down the ingredients in each dish to give the consumer a more precise idea of their caloric intake.