Macro persentages and fiber

oat_bran
oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My question might be somewhat stupid but my brain really doesn't work right.

Does MFP iclude fiber in the marco percentages it calculates? I mean, fiber doesn't have calories, so it seems like shouldn't be included, but it is definitely included on the total grams calculations. Or does it depend of whether the entry includes fiber in the carb counr or not?

I live in France, so obviously I scan a lot of the foods I buy here with labels using the European system (not including fiber in the carb count). But use the database in English a lot (just because it's fuller) which tends to be mostly based on the US system (carbs included in the carbs count).

So does it mean, that my actual macro percentages are off? When people here recommend certain macro percentages are they based on US system? Or are they valid for either system?

Replies

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,648 Member
    Yes, MFP includes fiber in the carb category. (I just tested it.) Not sure why they do that, but it is the American way.

    Note that there are lots of food entries with errors in the database.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,750 Member
    Your macro breakdown is for macronutrients. Fiber is not a macronutrient, its part of the carbohydrate total (just like sugar)
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,173 Member
    If the entries you use include fiber in the total carbs, MFP will include them when it calculates your macro percentages for the day. If the entries you use don't include fiber in the total carbs (such as entries based on some non-U.S. food labels, or "net carb" entries that some users create), then MFP won't include them when it calculates your macro percentages for the day.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
    edited June 2017
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Your macro breakdown is for macronutrients. Fiber is not a macronutrient, its part of the carbohydrate total (just like sugar)

    Yes, but carbohydrate is a macronutrient. This means that fiber grams, like sugar grams, if included in the total carb count are also counted in the percentages.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Fibre is allocated a calorie value - 2 per gram from memory
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
    edited June 2017
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    If the entries you use include fiber in the total carbs, MFP will include them when it calculates your macro percentages for the day. If the entries you use don't include fiber in the total carbs (such as entries based on some non-U.S. food labels, or "net carb" entries that some users create), then MFP won't include them when it calculates your macro percentages for the day.

    Thank you for your reply. This means that my actual macro percentages are way off, because I've been using both entries that onclude carb and those that don't.

    When I say off, I mean in relation to the percentages reported by most people here. I'm assuming that the majority of people on MFP are Americans, which means the recommended 40/30/30 breakdown is for the US system.

    I still don't understand how fiber is actually counted in the percentage breakdown though. These percentages are calculated on the basis of energy each macronutrient supplies, not number of grams, right? But fiber has no calories, or it has much less available calories than the rest of carbohydrates that provide 4 calories per gram. I thought the calculations are made like this carbs: #g x 4 = total energy from carbs, but if fiber is included in the count than the number of grams is higher and total calories from carbs should be higher than they actually are? Or am I missing something here?
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