Calories for dummies

Author: Ed Biado
Column: Life & Entertainment

What in the world are calories and why are they here? We need them, but we cant have too much of them. Theyre healthy and unhealthy at the same time. But they dont even really exist as the word itself is just a form of measurement. So why are many people obsessing over their calorie count? And why do some people dont even know what they are? Why are fast-food joints taking so much heat on producing food with gazillions of them? What is it really all about? Today, we hope to clear all misconceptions and set the record straight. Weve abridged most of the things to know about calories, broken them down to the simplest terms and came up with this concise, but highly informative, FAQ.

1. What is a calorie? A calorie is a unit of energy. It is recommended that we consume a regular amount of calories on a daily basis for us to function. Different kinds of foods contain different numbers of calories. Here are the basics: one gram of carbohydrates contains four calories, one gram of protein also has four and one gram of fat equals nine calories.

2. Can a person just have one source of calories? Yes, a person can but they shouldnt. A balanced diet is always suggested. Ideally, about 50 percent of the calorie intake should come from carbs, 20 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. However, fat is tricky. We should consume fat from monounsaturated sources. Otherwise is unhealthy.

3. What happens to calories? When we eat, food is broken down by the digestive system and is either used up through cellular and physical activities. When we walk, breathe or just move any part of our body, a small amount is being burned. The unused energy is stored as body fat. Roughly 3,500 stored calories equates to a pound of body fat.

4. Do we burn calories at the same rate? No. Different people have different metabolisms. Its genetic. The basal metabolism rate is computed differently for men and women. On an average, a moderately active person will burn 2,000 to 2,300 calories a day. Therefore, thats how much we should consume.

5. How much calories are we consuming? You can always check the nutrition facts on the label or online. But just a rough idea: a McDonalds Big Mac has 590 calories, a tall Starbucks Caramel Macchiato has 228 and a Burger King Original Whopper with Cheese has a whopping 800!

6. How do we burn more calories? Constant movement actually burns calories (although not as much as exercising). You can burn as much as 500 more calories a day just by keeping your limbs on the move even when youre resting. Changing positions, swinging your legs or arms and other minor movements are the simple cheats to maximize your calorie usage.

7. How do we watch our calories? There are some low-cal foods that we can substitute for other high-cal foods. Barley tops this list. Other raw vegetables are also great, like carrots, lettuce and salad greens. Grapes, apples and bananas are just some of the fruits that you can snack on in lieu of sinful delights.

8. Are there other calorie roundabouts? As a matter of fact, yes. You can opt to eat spicy foods because spices help jerk our metabolism and burn more calories. You can also try eating small frequent meals (a common diet plan) because smaller portions distributed throughout the day are easier to digest, making the calories easier to burn.

9. Should we count our calories? In the perfect world, no. But if you are looking to gain or lose weight, counting calories is an effective aid in doing so. Still, its not to be done on its own. A proper diet and exercise should still be the focus.

10. What are the benefits of limiting calorie intake? There is no substantial proof on the positive side of restricting calories aside from weight loss. There is a study, however, that suggested that doing so can extend the lifespan of a person by 20 percent. Its an ongoing debate, though, as the practice leads to starvation and obsessionsomething that may be an eating disorder. Keep in mind that calories are energy. We all need energy.

Source: Manila Standard Today