What is Calorie Counting?

What Is A Calorie?

When we speak of eating or exercising, we tend to speak in terms of calories. Menus for restaurants will list the amount of calories for each meal. Treadmills will show the amount of calories consumed. Dieters track calories each day during meals, while others giddyly proclaim that calories don't count on weekends.

But what exactly is an calorie , in the first place?

"The calorie is nothing more than a measurement, just like inches or kilowatts," says Lauri Wright as an assistant professor of nutritional science as well as dietetics, of the University of North Florida and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "It just represents how much energy is contained in the food or how much energy is used by the body."

What's in a Calorie

When we speak of calories within our bodies and within our food, the issue is actually kilogramcalories, Wright states.

A calorie, often referred to a small calorie is the quantity of energy needed to warm 1 gram of water 1.25 degrees Celsius. There are 1,000 calories in a kilocalorie, or large calories. It determines the amount of energy needed to increase the volume of water in a kilogram in one degree Celsius. From a scientific perspective, when we are using the term "calorie" on nutrition labels or menus as well as on counters that count calories, we really are quoting kilocalories. (This article will employ "calories" to refer to "kilocalories.")

Researchers can discover how much energy specific food or fuel contains by burning it in a device that is known as bomb calorimeter. The heat that is generated by the reaction can raise the temperature of the water that is inside the device. The amount of temperature variance is a measure of the energy the food has according to Wright.

A bomb calorimeter. (Credit: MEDIAIMAG/Shutterstock)

Foods contain calories as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates, including sugars, mostly come from fruit, vegetables and other grain products. Protein is abundant in beans, nuts , legumes and animal meat. The healthy fats are found in plant oils, fruits and the fatty fish and vegetables.

Proteins and carbs both have at least 4 calories per gram. Meanwhile, fats have 9 calories per gram, Wright says. To make energy, your organism converts the nutrients into glucose. Simple sugar powers every process within the body.about:blank

However, not every energy derived from these nutrients has the same quality however. The human body was designed to use carbohydrates as energy sources by Wright. Carbs are made up of numerous glucose molecules that are connected the way she described, and our bodies are able to break down into energy units that are able to be broken down into smaller units. Proteins and fats however are converted to glucose. They are therefore less efficient in the body.

Wright likens the human body to the engine of a luxury car. A car that is of high-end quality is generally designed to run on premium-quality gas, which has an increased amount of Octane. If you pour regular gasoline into the tank , the engine continues to operate but not as efficiently. This is also true for our bodies -- the engine can run smooth on carbs, however, it is not as smooth on proteins, and especially on fats.

This is the reason Wright declares that she and other nutritionists aren't big fans of ketogenic diets. "Those ketones are alternate energy, so it's almost like putting leaded gasoline in your engine," Wright declares.

Proteins and fats can have additional applications in the body aside from energy sources, Wright says. Proteins, like those, are perfect for building muscle or antibodies to fight illness. Omega-3 acid and monounsaturated acids can assist your body's digestion of vitamins and decrease the chance of developing heart diseases as well as diabetes type 2 from the Mayo Clinic.

It is vital to get your calories from a variety of sources. (Credit: Ekaterina Kondratova/Shutterstock)

Counting Calories

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The general dietary guidelines suggest that an adult woman consumes around 2500 calories every day, and for men of average age, around 2,500, Wright says. Although these are just an estimation of calories needed, requirements can vary from person to person Wright adds. The amount of the body's energy needs are contingent on many aspects, including your level of activity and the age of your body, height, as well as.

When you eat more calories than you can consume throughout the day the body converts the energy it has wasted into muscles (short-term storage) or fat tissues (long-term storage). This is a defense mechanism in the event that there's not enough food for your body, it will draw the energy from these stored fats to fuel itself. "The body once again is this amazing machine," Wright declares.

In excess energy consumption, it can result in weight gain and health issues. One of the major causes for obesity within the U.S., where obesity affects more than 93 million adults are the foods that are a source of "empty calories." Soda is one of them, Wright says. It's not nutritionally healthy and is loaded with calories. It is crucial to get the best of your money's worth she suggests. Foods that provide calories and also other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals protein, and fiber.

In the end, calories aren't the enemy, Wright says. A lot of people who are trying to shed pounds are obsessed by the number of calories, but in reality, it's best to consider calories in relation to the individual needs of your body Wright advises.

When you're making lists of calories or not, they're just a way to measure energy. Making the most of this energy is yours to decide.