How do I read a nutrition label to track my macros?

On Ep. 86, Nikkiey walks through the math. If a box says 35 grams of carbohydrates, multiply by four to get the calories coming from carbs. If it says 10 grams of fat, multiply by nine, since fat carries more than twice the energy of protein or carbs. One WarriorBabe coach adds the same rule for protein: about four calories per gram. Once you can do that conversion, a label stops being a wall of numbers and becomes protein, carbs and fat you can log against your targets.

The catch is alcohol. Nikkiey points out that drinks like hard seltzers can show just 2 grams of carbs, which accounts for only about eight calories, yet the can holds around 100. The rest comes from alcohol at about seven calories per gram, and that doesn't appear in the macros on the label. If the macros don't add up to the calorie count on a drink, that gap is the alcohol.

It also helps to know how those numbers get there. On Ep. 318, guest Steven Rofrano, co-founder of Ancient Crunch, explains that most nutrition panels aren't lab-tested. Manufacturers add up values for each ingredient from a USDA database, so the result may be directionally true but not precise. He goes further and says he ignores the numbers and reads the ingredient list instead. Nikkiey pushes back a little, since she's big on protein, fats and carbs, but agrees the figures aren't exact.

The practical takeaway: use the label to track your macros, treat the numbers as close estimates rather than gospel, and glance at the ingredients too. If your progress stalls, it's not that you can't read a label; it's that the plan needs adjusting, which is exactly what tracking lets you see.