We've all seen them--fad diets promising substantial weight loss and instant results. The fact remains that the most sensible way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. All the food we eat--whether "low fat" food or "low carb" food or "high protein" food--has calories. The more calories you eat, the more energy your body must burn in order to maintain a healthy weight.

The carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in food supply energy, which is measured in calories. Carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories per gram. Fat contributes more than twice as much -- 9 calories per gram. Alcohol is also high in energy and supplies 7 calories per gram. Foods that are high in fat are also high in calories.

However, sometimes it's difficult to know just how many calories a certain food has. In addition, knowing the amount of fat, protein and carbohydrates in our food can be important to maintaining a healthy diet.

Calorie Charts has information on calorie, carbohydrate, fat and protein content for several thousand types of food.

Thanks for stopping by to Calories Charts. We hope you'll be back soon.