We may use Kg to measure weight and metres to measure length. Calories are used to measure the amount of energy that our bodies can obtain from foods.
What is a kcal?
One gram of Carbohydrates provides 4 calories
A gram of Protein also provides 4 calories
Each gram of Fat provides 9 calories
So Fat is more than twice as rich in energy as Protein and Carbohydrate!
Are Calories bad for you?
If you eat more calories than your body needs then the extra calories end up stored as fat around the body and you will put on weight. By tracking what you eat you can begin to understand how many calories you are consuming and then make adjustments to help control your weight.
How many calories a day do I need?
Everyone of us is different and that’s a good thing because it makes the world a great place to live. For this very reason each of us needs a different amount of calories and the activities we get up to each day will also affect our requirements. Many governments and organisations make recommendations on guideline intakes, but these are just that – guideline.
What are the minimum number of calories per day I need?
How do I find out the calories in food?
Some foods such as lettuce contain very few calories, while others such as nuts contain high amounts. The good news is that scientists have done the hard work of calculating the number of calories in our food and drink and this information can be found contained on food packaging.
What about Joules?
A Joule is an alternative for measuring energy.
How do I convert joules to calories and calories to joules?
1 calories = 4.184 joules
1 Kcal = 4184 joules
