Daily Diet Composition Charts for Carbs, Protein, and Fat

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How much protein, carbohydrates, and fats should you eat for a healthy meal plan? These charts can show you what your goal should be in calories and in grams for each macronutrient. You can read nutrition labels or use a macro tracking app to add them up each day.

First, determine what your daily calorie goal should be. You can use a daily caloric needs calculator to find how many calories your body burns each day. If you want to lose weight, you should aim for a number that is 500 fewer calories per day than your daily caloric needs.

Carbohydrate and protein each contribute 4 calories per gram, while fat contributes 9 calories per gram.

Choosing a Weight-Loss Diet

People have weight loss success with different kinds of meal plans. Some do very well with a high protein diet, while others prefer to follow a Mediterranean-style, vegetarian, or a typical low-calorie diet.

These charts are based on three healthy diets modeled by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a high-protein 40-30-30 diet.

If you are training for an endurance event such as a half-marathon, marathon, or century cycling ride, athletic trainers usually recommend using one of the three diets with higher carbohydrates rather than the high protein but low carb diet. You need carbohydrates to burn for energy during endurance exercise.

Though these charts start out at 1,000 calories per day, it's important to note that the minimum calorie count recommended for adults is 1,800 calories per day for sedentary women and 2,400 calories per day for sedentary men. Only children and youth can eat lower calorie counts and still satisfy their nutritional needs. The number of calories that you need each day day will depend on your age, weight, height, activity level, and health goals.

U.S.-Style Diet Chart

The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide percent ranges for each macronutrient. For adults, the organization recommends consuming 10% to 35% of calories from protein, 45% to 65% from carbohydrates, and 20% to 35% from fat. The guidelines also suggest consuming less than 10% of total calories from saturated fat.

The table below provides specific numbers for a diet that provides 51% of calories from carbohydrates, 18% from protein, and 33% from fat. It is appropriate for athletes, especially for people who enjoy endurance exercise, such as walking, hiking, running, and cycling. Depending on your needs, the macronutrient ranges may be different.

Calorie
Target

Carbs
(calories)

Carbs
(grams)

Protein
(calories)

Protein
(grams)

Fat
(calories)

Fat
(grams)