Key Ratio

 

The "Key Ratio" is Diet Power's name for the proportion of calories, either in a food or in a person's diet, that come from each of the four energy nutrients: fat, carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol. It is often used as an indicator of dietary balance. Diet Power assumes that most people should get no more than 25 percent of their calories from fat, about 15 percent from protein, and if they drink alcoholic beverages, no more than 10 percent from alcohol. Since all the rest come from carbohydrates, this translates to a Key Ratio of 25:50:15:10 if you drink or 25:60:15:0 if you don't.

 

Once you understand the Key Ratio, you can quickly judge whether a food is likely to advance or hinder your progress toward a balanced diet. Suppose, for instance, that your Nutrient History reveals a Key Ratio of 42:30:28:0 for your meals so far today. This means you've eaten too much fat, too little carbohydrate, and too much protein. Hence, if you're considering eating a food or recipe with a Key Ratio of 8:87:5:0, you know immediately that it will improve your Key Ratio for the day, because it's low in fat (8 percent) and protein (5 percent) and high in carbohydrates (87 percent). By contrast, a food or recipe with a ratio of 56:14:30:0 would clearly be something to avoid.

 

To find a food or recipe's Key Ratio:

 

In either the Food Dictionary or the Food Log, point to the item and hold down the right mouse button. Diet Power will display the Key Ratio in a popup window, in pie-chart form. When you release the button, the window will disappear.

 

To find your Key Ratio¼

 

¼look at the table view of your Nutrient History. Your Key Ratio appears at the bottom, in both pie-chart and table form.