Are all calories equal?
Calories are all created equal. Each calorie is a measure of energy, and each calorie provides the same amount of energy to the body. However, the amount of calories in a food or beverage varies based on how much fat, carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol are in that food. Fat, carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol are all macronutrients, each of which provides calories in the diet.
The basis for healthy weight management is to consume the amount of calories that the body needs to burn for daily energy needs without consuming too many. Calories are energy! The simple definition of energy is the capacity of an object or system to perform work; and calories do work. What starts as a calorie becomes energy for the body to use after the metabolism breaks the calorie down. The energy from calories is what the body uses to perform all necessary bodily functions such as breathing, growth and repair of cells, and blood circulation.
One gram of protein provides 4 calories, just as one gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. One gram of fat provides the highest amount of calories at 9 calories per gram. So, when you eat an equal amount of a high-fat food, it is more likely to provide more calories than a high-protein or high-carbohydrate food.
Eliminating 500 calories per day, by way of eliminating food from the diet or replacing high-calorie foods with lower-calorie foods, results in a one pound weight-loss over the course of one week. Burning 500 calories per day, through exercise, results in a one pound weight-loss over the course of one week.
By Jessica L. Hoffman, R.D., PinnacleHealth Weight Loss Center
Read Jessica’s other blog:What do dietitians eat?
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