Calories 101

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Energy Inside Food
We’ve all heard plenty about calories, and we know that they play an important role in eating and weight control. But even a slightly deeper than average understanding of what calories are and what they do can have a significant impact on personal success in weight management efforts. Here are some key points to help broaden our understanding of this tiny but life-impacting little thing we call the calorie.

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Cal∙o∙rie (kăl ́ -rē) n. 1. A unit of energy equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1,000 grams of water by 1°C at sea level. 2. A unit of energy ‐ producing potential equal to this amount of heat that is contained in food and released upon oxidation by the body: nutritionist’s calorie.

• In layman’s terms and for dietary purposes, a calorie is simply a measuring unit for how much energy is contained in foods. Our bodies require us to eat so that they can “tap in” to that energy by metabolizing it and using it to fuel daily functioning (sometimes called calorie burn).
• Different food substances contain different ratios of calories:
  • 1g of protein contains 4 calories
  • 1g of carbohydrates contain 4 calories
  • 1g of fat contains 9 calories
  • 1g of alcohol contains 7 calories
• Extra energy that the body doesn’t immediately need gets stored away for emergency. The body creates this energy reserve by turning those extra calories into fat.
• Lean body mass like muscle, requires and burns more calories for normal functioning than does fat.
• Different food ‐ type calories are metabolized differently by the body and influence things like: blood sugar levels, hormone releases, energy level, mood, proper body functioning, cell repair and more.
• The body seeks important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids along with the calories.
• Foods containing few or no nutrients are called “empty” calories and provide basically no benefit.
• It is healthiest to avoid empty calories and to consume nutrient ‐ rich foods to support health and to help prevent chronic diseases and obesity.
• Balancing calorie intake with daily calories burned by the body is a significant key to weight control.
• The body needs more energy while active, so it burns more calories (when exercising for example).