A calorie is an unit of energy. It is the heat needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree Celsius. The calories we get from food, provides us with energy so that our bodies can function. Our bodies store and "burn" calories as fuel.
What is it?
We often hear people saying i need to eat lesser so i don't eat so much calories or i need to exercise more to burn off calories.
What calories are is essentially the amount of energy that our body needs. Somewhat like the fuel that we run on. Healthy food provides calories and important nutrients (which can help to build muscles and bones).
Drinks do contain calories as well. However, not all of them are healthy. Calories found in sweet drinks/Sodas for instance, are known as "empty calories". This means that they provide calories with no nutritional value.
How does it cause weight gain?
Since calories are meant to provide energy, if you over consume then the excess calories would be stored as "body fats". Our body needs to have some stored fats to remain healthy, however excessive fats can lead to complicated health problems.
How much should i consume?
There are certain guidelines that would state the recommended amounts (2,000 for females and 2,500 for males). However, this number would vary as it depends on your activity levels and metabolism too.
Food..? Calories..?
Different types of food would have different calorie count. Protein and carbohydrate have less than half of the calories per gram as compared to fat.
Since fat provides more calories per gram, many would try to limit or avoid consuming fat. However, there some types of fat that are necessary! Polunsaturated fat helps to maintain a healthy heart.
In terms of losing weight, a general rule of thumb is as long as we consume lesser and burn more, we can effectively lose weight
What are empty calories?
Empty calories contain few to no nutrients. Its often added sugars or solid fats. Solid fats are fats that have solidify at room temperature, like butter.
Some food that has empty calories are ice cream, sodas, cheese, pizza and processed meats like hot dogs and sausages. Some of these foods, like cheese and pizza, also contain nutrients (cheese is high in calcium and contains protein; pizza sauces, toppings and crusts can have nutrients) but other foods, like sodas and most candies, contains mostly empty calories.
Things to note!
Do not immediately enter into a low calorie diet as it might be harmful to your health! Try to go into it progressively and do check with a dietitian on what are the steps that they can advise with regards to this.
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