Understanding calories
What is a calorie?
Most
people when they hear the word calories think about food but don't
really understand exactly what they are. A calorie is a unit of
measurement, but is nothing to do with length or weight. A calorie is a
unit of energy. Specifically a calorie is the amount of energy, or
heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1oC. One
calorie is also an equivalent to 4.184 joules, a commom unit of energy
in science. Predominantly the number of calories you consume is just a
way of describing the amount of energy your body gets from eating and
drinking.
We all need calories, however the key is getting the right amount. Calories are essential for energy, but eating too many and not burning them off means they end up stored as fat!
What is the difference between kcals and kjs?
You may have noticed when looking at nutritional information on food packaging that there are two measurements for energy, kj and kcal.
kcals or kilocalories are normally referred to simply as calories, but to be more precise, 1kcal is actually 1000 calories.
kjs or kilojoules are a different type of energy measurement and are used mainly by the scientific community. One kcal is the same as 4.2 kilojoules.
How many different calories are there?
Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories
Fat has more than double the number of calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates. Foods that are high in fat will therfore have a far higher calorie content. Calories from fat are far more easily stored as fat by the body, than calories from carbohydrates. Restricting the number of calories you consume will help you lose weight, also restricting foods that are high in fat will make this calorie reduction even easier.
Beware even though alcohol doesn't contain fat, it's laced with calories a massive 7kcals per gram. When adding juices, mixers and other ingredients the calories really do add up. Alcohol coolers are full of hidden calories with a typical bottle containing 160 calories. And don't make the mistake that non alcoholic beer has less calories, it's actually the same with an average pint containing approximately 190 calories. If a chilled white wine is your favourite drink, choose dry as it has fewer calories than sweet with an average 116 calories per 175ml glass.
With the above in mind, it's important to monitor your "liquid" calories just as closely as others!
We all need calories, however the key is getting the right amount. Calories are essential for energy, but eating too many and not burning them off means they end up stored as fat!
What is the difference between kcals and kjs?
You may have noticed when looking at nutritional information on food packaging that there are two measurements for energy, kj and kcal.
kcals or kilocalories are normally referred to simply as calories, but to be more precise, 1kcal is actually 1000 calories.
kjs or kilojoules are a different type of energy measurement and are used mainly by the scientific community. One kcal is the same as 4.2 kilojoules.
How many different calories are there?
Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories
Fat has more than double the number of calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates. Foods that are high in fat will therfore have a far higher calorie content. Calories from fat are far more easily stored as fat by the body, than calories from carbohydrates. Restricting the number of calories you consume will help you lose weight, also restricting foods that are high in fat will make this calorie reduction even easier.
Beware even though alcohol doesn't contain fat, it's laced with calories a massive 7kcals per gram. When adding juices, mixers and other ingredients the calories really do add up. Alcohol coolers are full of hidden calories with a typical bottle containing 160 calories. And don't make the mistake that non alcoholic beer has less calories, it's actually the same with an average pint containing approximately 190 calories. If a chilled white wine is your favourite drink, choose dry as it has fewer calories than sweet with an average 116 calories per 175ml glass.
With the above in mind, it's important to monitor your "liquid" calories just as closely as others!
It’s Easy To Get Started…