What Is Calorie?
Calorie is a measure of energy. That energy comes from the food we eat. Food calorie content is simply the amount of calories that specific food contains for a given serving size. It seems most weight loss diets focus more on the calorie amounts, other than the nutritional contributions of the ingredients that make the meal.
Why We Need Calories
Well, we can't live without food nor can we survive on water alone. We need food for our body structural growth and development, the energy to carry out daily activities - both physical and mental, disease and ailment prevention etc. Just remember that the energy we get from food is where the calorie counting comes in. Bottom line is no food, you starve to death.
How Many Calories Do We Need?
Definitely a popular question. According to Wikipedia, the daily calorie intake recommended in the USA(age 31 - 50) is 2100 kCal for women and 2700 kCal for men going about everyday life activities plus the equivalent of walking 1.5 to 3 miles at 3 mph. This however, is not a "Ink on the wall" kind of thing since we all active at different levels and every unique metabolism requires its own calorie needs. In other words, the amount of calorie intake is dependent on age, gender, the levels of physical and mental activities, individual metabolism as well as general health conditions. For weight loss purposes, the general consensus is that the more physically active (exercises, sports) one is, the more calories they need to take since they burn a lot, and vise versa. Also see the US government dietary guidelines for more information.
What Happens If We Don't Burn(Use) Our Calories?
Our bodies are designed to convert food into energy and store it for immediate or future use. Intense physical activities like exercising require a lot of energy and hence we burn calories. On the other hand whatever energy we don't use is simply converted and store as body or tissue fat. So the more high calorific foods we eat and the less we are physically active, the more likely we are to put on weight by the additional fat the body creates to store excess calories.
Calorie Content Per Gram By Food Type
- Fats (9000 calories): Sources include fried foods, meats, fish oil, butter, veg oils, cheese, chocolate etc
- Proteins (4000 calories): Sources include meats, milk and dairy products, eggs. Proteins from plants like beans and soy have a significantly less calories.
- Carbohydrates (4000 calories): Sources include fruits, carbonated drinks(soda), breads, cereal, rice, pasta, potatoes etc.
- Sugars(240 calories): Examples are table sugars and sweeteners
- Alcohol(7000 calories): Beer, Liquor.
Conclusion
Counting calories in weight loss diets can get complicated and confusing. Simplify by identifying the foods you want in your diet and then take what you need by the amount of physical activities that you do. Alternatively, delivered meal plans with specific calorie content are available through subscription services. The common ones are BistroMD, Nutrisystem, South Beach etc.
Wikipedia/food-energy, http://www.sallykisner.com
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