Can you advise how many calories there are in one gram of simple carbohydrates and in one gram of complex carbohydrates? Many thanks for your help.

Kind regards, Sue E.

Dear Sue,

There are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates, whether it’s complex like potatoes, or simple like fruit sugar. This doesn’t mean each gram of a potato or an apple has 4 calories, because much of the weight of fruits and vegetables is composed of water.

Fiber is another type of carbohydrate. It’s made of the same simple sugars as other carbohydrates, but they are bonded together in a way that prevents our body from digesting them. So fiber gives us no calories. This is why some food labels list “total carbohydrate” and then “net carbohydrate” … we can only digest the complex and simple carbs but not the fiber.

Protein also provides 4 calories per gram, and fat more than double either of those–9 calories per gram!