So what exactly are calories?
Many people do it automatically: cast an expert eye over the packaging of a particular foodstuff to see how many calories it contains. And the word “calories” quickly crops up once the conversation turns to a healthy diet. Perhaps you also pay attention to the calorie information when you are shopping? But do you know what it actually means? Spoiler alert: There are no little creatures that sew your clothes tighter overnight ... today we reveal what exactly is meant by the term calorie. We think you will also enjoy the second part of this article next month; in it we explain why we believe you are better off not counting calories.
What are calories?
They’re actually not that complicated. Calories are simply a measure of energy. They specify the energy content of food or the energy requirements of an organism. To put it mathematically: one calorie is equal to the amount of energy needed to heat 1 ml of water from 14.5°C to 15.5°C. Interestingly, when it comes to food, we are talking about kilocalories (kcal) rather than calories (cal). One kilocalorie is equal to 1,000 calories. Nevertheless, the term “calories” is the one that is commonly used. Our bodies get their energy from three main groups of nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
And why do we need energy?
We actually need energy all the time – even when we are sleeping. This is known as the “basal metabolic rate”. The body uses the energy consumed while it is resting to perform vital functions such as breathing, keeping the heart beating and maintaining body temperature. Our basal metabolic rate depends on gender, weight, height, age and muscle-to-fat ratio. Fun fact: muscles generally consume more energy than fatty tissue when the body is resting. For this reason, men’s basal metabolic rate is generally higher than women’s.
Of course, on top of the basal metabolic rate, we also need energy for everyday movement and sporting activities. This is known as the “physical activity level”. People who have a physically hard job and who also play sport or exercise thus have a higher energy requirement than people whose job requires them to sit for most of the day, for example.
Did you understand all of that? Then you are no doubt already looking forward to our article on the subject of calorie counting, which you can read here on the Dole blog next month.
Your Dole team
