Composition of Nutrition

Before starting a diet, you should carefully plan the composition of your nutrition. Your goal is to make your diet healthy, balanced, and effective in delivering results. In this lesson, I’ll explain how to find the right combination of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and how to plan a diet according to your personal athletic goals.

Find more nutrition-related topics on the Nutrition Main Page.

Description: Composition of Nutrition

In the first part of this topic, we’ll discuss how to find the right balance between proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Since you're visiting Flash Mavi, I assume you want to improve your fitness for a specific sport or reduce your body fat. The first step is learning how to calculate the percentage of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in your diet.

Common mistake: Many people calculate percentages based on grams, but what you actually need to do is convert grams into kilocalories (kcal) before calculating.

This is important because 1 gram of fat contains more than twice the calories of 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate.

For example:

If you think a diet with 25 g fat, 25 g protein, and 50 g carbs (100 g total food) equals 25% fat / 25% protein / 50% carbs, you're mistaken.

Here’s the correct calculation:

1g fat = 9 kcal → 25 × 9 = 225 kcal
1g protein = 4 kcal → 25 × 4 = 100 kcal
1g carbohydrate = 4 kcal → 50 × 4 = 200 kcal
Total kcal = 525

Now calculate percentages:

Fat = 225 / 525 = 43%
Protein = 100 / 525 = 19%
Carbs = 200 / 525 = 38%

As you can see, you're consuming a lot more fat than you thought. Always convert to kcal before calculating ratios.

Setting Your Goals

Once you understand how to calculate your nutrient ratios, think about your goals:

Do you want to gain weight or build muscle?
Do you want to get stronger, improve endurance, or lose fat?

In general:

The more muscle you want to build → the more protein you need
The more endurance you need → the more carbohydrates you need
The more fat you want to lose → the less fat you should consume (within safe limits)

Important note: There are upper and lower limits for each macronutrient. Exceeding them can be unhealthy.

Recommended Ranges (by kcal):

Fat: 10% (min) – 35% (max)
Protein: 10% (min) – 35% (max)
Carbohydrates: 50% (min) – 80% (max)

Too much protein (e.g., over 2.8 g per kg of body weight) can strain the kidneys due to excess nitrogen. Similarly, consuming too little fat can negatively affect things like kidney fat and hormone production.

Examples: Macronutrient Ratios by Activity

Goal / ActivityFatProteinCarbsBodybuilder (muscle gain)20%25%55%Bodybuilder (cutting/pre-contest)15%35%50%Weight Lifter20%20%60%Gymnast20%25%45%Martial Artist20%20%60%Sprinter (short distance)20%30%50%Marathon Runner20%15%65%Sedentary person20%15%65%

Protein = Muscle
Carbohydrates = Quick Energy
Fat = Stored Energy

How Much Food Should You Eat?

Although there's no food pyramid here (you can find many on Google Images), here’s a basic breakdown:

40%: Bread, cereals, pasta, rice, etc.
20%: Fruits
13%: Vegetables
12%: Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, poultry
10%: Milk, cheese, yogurt
5%: Fats, oils, sweets, cakes

Last But Not Least: Eat Clean

Try to eat clean and healthy. Organic foods usually contain fewer chemicals, pesticides, and artificial additives.
It’s better if your body doesn’t have to spend energy dealing with those. Unfortunately, organic food tends to be more expensive, but the health benefits can be worth it.

Advice: Composition of Nutrition

Plan your diet before getting started.
Start with the right calorie intake and the right ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
Once you're comfortable tracking calories and macronutrients, move toward eating less processed food and more whole foods.
Always calculate percentages from kilocalories, not grams or ounces.
Keep a food diary to monitor your progress.
Prefer whole foods over supplements. For example:
- Eat eggs or lean meat instead of protein bars
- Choose organic meat over industrial meat
- Use protein shakes only when necessary (e.g., if you don’t have time for a full meal)

Videos: Composition of Nutrition

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