Reference Guide · Updated 2025

The food macros guide

130+ foods USDA-sourced data Filter & sort

Once your macro calculator has given you a daily protein, carb and fat target, the next question is the practical one: what do I actually eat to hit those numbers? This guide answers that. Every food below shows energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat per common serving, with values drawn from the USDA FoodData Central database. That is the same reference used by registered dietitians and most reputable nutrition apps worldwide.

Energy is shown two ways in the table: calories (Cal) on top and kilojoules (kJ) underneath. Australian food labels are required to display energy in kilojoules as the primary unit, so the kJ figure is there to match what you see on packaging at Coles, Woolworths or Aldi. The two are simply different scales for the same thing, where one calorie equals 4.184 kilojoules. As a rough mental shortcut, you can divide a kilojoule figure by four to approximate calories.

How to read this guide

Foods are tagged by their dominant macro. Tap a category filter below, or type into the search box to find a specific food. Click any column header to sort by that value. This is particularly useful if you are trying to find the highest-protein foods you can fit into your day.

Need more protein

Protein-led foods

Meats, fish, dairy, eggs, legumes and soy-based proteins.

Need more carbs

Carb-led foods

Grains, starches, fruit and legumes that lean carb-dominant.

Need more fat

Fat-led foods

Oils, nuts, seeds, avocado and high-fat dairy.

Volume & fibre

Vegetables

Low-calorie, high-volume foods that round out a day's intake.

130 of 130 foods

Tip: click any column heading to sort. Click again to reverse.

Food ▼	Serving ▼	Cal / kJ ▼	P (g) ▼	C (g) ▼	F (g) ▼	Fibre (g) ▼

No foods match that search. Try a broader term.

Putting it together

Sample meals built from the table

Three worked examples showing how foods from the guide combine to reach different macro targets. Use them as templates and swap any food for another in the same category. The totals will land in a similar range.

The protein anchor

High-protein meal · ~45g P

Chicken breast, cooked150 g
Greek yogurt, plain non-fat100 g
Brown rice, cooked120 g
Broccoli, steamed100 g
Olive oil5 g

485

Cal

2029 kJ

P g

C g

F g

The balanced plate

Even-macro meal · 30/40/30

Salmon, baked120 g
Sweet potato, baked200 g
Spinach, sautéed80 g
Avocado40 g
Olive oil5 g

560

Cal

2343 kJ

P g

C g

F g

The lower-carb plate

Higher fat & protein · <25g C

Eggs, scrambled3 large
Cheddar cheese25 g
Smoked salmon60 g
Avocado60 g
Mixed leafy greens60 g

525

Cal

2197 kJ

P g

C g

F g

Workflow

Using this guide with your weekly plan

Get your targets

Run your numbers through the macro calculator first. You will come away with a daily calorie total and individual targets for protein, carbohydrate and fat. Have those numbers in front of you before browsing the food table.

Build protein first

Research on adults over 40 supports prioritising protein above the other macros. Filter the table to Protein-led, choose three or four foods you genuinely enjoy eating, and plan them across your week before filling in anything else.

Add carbs and fats around them

Once your protein is planned, fit in carbohydrates and fats to reach your remaining numbers. The Carb-led and Fat-led filters make it easy to find foods that close the gap without pushing your calorie total over target.

Fill the rest with vegetables

Vegetables are mostly water, fibre and a small amount of carbohydrate. They add volume and micronutrients without disrupting your macro shape, which makes them a sensible choice when you are still hungry but already close to your calorie target for the day.

What these numbers do and don't tell you

Macro counts are a useful planning tool, but a few points are worth understanding before you start.

Cooked vs. raw weights matter. Meat and grains change weight significantly during cooking. This table notes whether each value is for cooked or raw food in the serving column. As a general guide, cooked meat weighs around 70 to 75 percent of its raw weight, and cooked rice or pasta weighs roughly two and a half to three times the dry weight. Weigh your food in whichever state the table specifies and the numbers will stay accurate.

Brand variation is real. A slice of bread or a cup of yogurt can vary by 20 to 30 percent in calories between brands. The values here represent the USDA reference food, which gives you a solid baseline. If you want tighter accuracy, check the nutrition label of the specific product you buy and adjust accordingly.

Macros are not the whole picture. Two foods with identical macros can differ significantly in micronutrient content, fibre quality and how satisfied they leave you. This is why fibre is included in the table. Digestive health and satiety both become more important after 40, and fibre plays a direct role in both.

Sources

All macro values are drawn from the United States Department of Agriculture's FoodData Central, a publicly accessible nutrient database maintained by the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Where multiple entries exist for one food, the SR Legacy or Foundation Food entry was used in preference to branded items.

USDA FoodData Central: fdc.nal.usda.gov
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: protein and dietary reference intakes
Australian Food Composition Database (NUTTAB), Food Standards Australia New Zealand, used for cross-reference
Energy unit conversion (1 calorie = 4.184 kilojoules) and the requirement for kilojoules on Australian nutrition labels: Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Need your numbers first?

The food guide works best when you know what you're aiming for. The macro calculator takes about a minute.

Open the calculator

General information only

This page is a reference guide, not personalised dietary advice. If you have a medical condition (including diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, or any condition affecting how you process protein, carbohydrate or fat), speak with your GP or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet.