calories
The physics of calories
Diets
empty calories
Foods
What should those calories be?
calories should people eat every day
Calories and weight loss
What are calories
defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water from 0 to 1 degree Celsius
depends on the individual’s activity level and resting metabolic rate
45 to 65 percent of calories should come from carbohydrates
high-calorie
no nutrients
If you are in caloric excess, you are eating more calories than you are burning and you will gain weight
Very low-calorie
2 unit of energy
sources of calories
Low-calorie
low-calorie
1 gram of water from 14.5 to 15.5 degrees Celsius
men shouldn’t eat fewer than 1,500 calories and women 1,200 calories
National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides general guidelines of calorie requirements for various ages and activity levels.
If you are in caloric deficit, you are burning more calories than you are eating, and you will lose weight
if you are maintaining your weight, you are in caloric balance
Eating enough calories helps maintain muscle mass during the weight-loss process
running a mile might burn around 112 calories
20 to 25 percent should come from fat and 10 to 35 percent should come from protein
Children need a higher proportion of fat, between 25 and 40 percent of their calories
No more than 25 percent of total calories should come from added sugar
the amount of macronutrients needed depends on the individual’s activity level
Oils, butter and other fats; fried foods; and sugary sweets are high-calorie foods
a low amount of calories relative to their serving size
to ensure that they’re getting a balance of major nutrients and micronutrients
A middle-age moderately active female should consume 2,000 calories per day
A middle-age moderately active male should consume 2,400 to 2,600 calories per day
Healthy foods that are high in calories
Fruits and especially vegetables are usually relatively low in calories
often come from added sugars and solid fats
low-calorie diets as meal plans that provide 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day for men
The unsustainability of low-calorie diets coupled with loss of muscle mass means that regained weight is usually fat, not muscle
provide up to 800 calories a day
People prescribed very low-calorie diets are usually obese and facing serious health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
special diets in which all meals are replaced with prepared formulas, often liquid shakes
carbohydrates
proteins
fats
sugars
unit of 1,000 small calories
1 joule equals 0.000239006 of a calorie