What are calories
The definition of a calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram (g) of water through 1° Celsius.
Calories are thus a measurement of how much energy foods or drinks contain.
The amount of energy we need will depend on:
- our age (growing children and teenagers may need more energy)
- our lifestyle (how active we are during your day)
- our size (our height and weight can affect how quickly our bodies use energy)
Other factors can also affect how much energy our bodies burn, for example:
- hormones (chemicals produced by the body, such as thyroid hormones)
- medication (such as glucocorticoids, a type of steroid used to treat inflammations)
- our general health
Our daily calorie intake
An ideal daily intake of calories (energy) varies depending on age, sex, height, metabolism and our levels of physical activity among other things. If we consistently take in more calories than our bodies need, we gain weight and if we take in less, we lose weight, fat, and eventually muscle mass.
Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake for women ranges between 1,600 and 2,400 calories and for men between 2,000 to 3,000.
Calories, kilo-calories and kilojoules
The calorie is a unit of energy that originated from the obsolete caloric theory of heat. The large calorie, food calorie, dietary calorie or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on kilogram of water by one degree Celsius (or one kelvin). The small calorie or gram calorie was defined as the amount of energy needed to cause the same increase of temperature in one gram of water.
In nutrition and food science, the term calorie and the symbol cal may refer to the large unit or the small in different regions of the world. Some authors recommend the spelling Calorie and the symbol Cal (both with capitals) if the large unit is meant, however this convention is often ignored. The term calorie and the symbol cal are thus most commonly used interchangeably with the term kilocalorie and the symbol kcal on nutritional food labels.
Kilojoules (kJ) are the equivalent of kilocalories within the International System of Units, and you’ll see both kJ and kcal on nutritional food labels. The precise equivalence between calories and joules have varied over the years, but in thermochemistry and nutrition it is now generally assumed that one (small) calorie is equal to 4,185 joules, and therefore one kilocalorie (one large calorie) is 4 184J or 4,184kJ. WipkipediA
Healthline article: What’s the Difference Between Kcal and Calories?
Maintaining a healthy weight
To find out if your Body Mass Index (BMI), you can use the Health Project’s BMI calculator.
To maintain a healthy weight, you need to balance the number of calories you consume through food and drinks with the number of calories your body burns through a given day.
Losing weight
To lose weight in a healthy way, you need to use more energy than you consume by eating a healthy, balanced diet with fewer calories while increasing your physical activity.
Your General Practitioner (GP or doctor) can give you advice about losing weight.
Gaining weight
To gain weight, you need to consume more calories than your body burns through each day.
You should get advice from your GP if your BMI is less than 18.5.
Munchies4U does not provide professional dietary advice. If you or someone you care for has special dietary requirements, medical needs or an eating disorder, please seek advice from a registered healthcare professional.
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