We often talk about calorie counting,calorie restricted diet ,so let us talk something about a CALORIE.

[patliputra]

A calorie is a unit of energy. In nutrition and everyday language, calorie refer to consumption through eating and drinking and energy uses through physical activity.

There are two types of calorie ( only for clarity) --

1. Small calorie ( symbol- cal , 'c small',)-- 1 cal. is the amount of energy or heat required to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

2. Large calorie ( symbol- Kcal ) -- one calorie is the amount of energy or heat required to raise one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

1 Kcal = 1000 calories

Most people associate calories just with food and drink, but any thing that contains energy has calories.

Nowadays on food packages there are sometimes mentioned two measurements of energy, Kjoules or Kj and Kcal . Kilojoules are alternative energy measurement mostly used by scientific community. One Kcal is equivalent to 4.2 Kjoules.

Normally Kcal is referred to simply as calorie.

Most of the calories in food comes from three macronutrients-

1. Carbohtdrates have 4 calories/ gram

2. Protein has also. 4 calories/ gram

3. Fat. has. 9 calories/gram

So, one can make adjustments in food to get required calories and also how much calories one wants from each macronutrients.

A few words about alcohol, it doesn't contain any fat ,yet one gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. Please also remember, non alcoholic beer has also same amount of calories. An average pint contains 190 calories.

So the question is how much calories an average adult requires ? The requirement depends on several factors including overall health, physical activity, sex, height and weight etc.

There are certain recommendations ---

Men. Women

U.S. 2700 calories. 2200 calories

NHS, UK. 2500 calories. 2000 calories

FAO, UN. say an average adult should not eat less than 1800 calories.

nutracheck.co.uk/ library/calories/understandingcalories_1html

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

[alwaysoptimistic]

Very informative!

[patliputra]

Thank you for asking so many questions ,but I will confine myself only to basics.

What happens to energy or calories contained in the food and drinks we consume and how food is converted into energy ? The process through which body converts food into energy is called METABOLISM. Having said that even when body is at rest, it needs certain energy or calories to carry out certain functions such as breathing,circulating blood, ADJUSTING HORMONE levels and GROWING and REPAIR of cells.

Number of calories required to carry out these functions is known as Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR in short or maybe loosely called metabolism. Several factors determine individuals BMR , including, body size and composition,sex and age.

Energy needs for body's basic functions stay fairly constant and aren't easily changed. BMR accounts for about 70% of calories one burns or utilities.

In addition to BMR two other factors determine how much calories one burns. (1) Thermogenesis,a very technical term,meaning food processing. Actually the food,drinks we consume undergoes a complex biochemical processing eg. digesting,absorbing,transporting and then storage. For these functions or thermogenesis,the calories requirement is also fairly constant,but varies greatly in different individuals. Say 100-800 calories.Roughly calculated 10% of calories consumed.

(2) Physical activities and excercise ,it includes every activity eg. Rising fro bed,walking to rest room brushing your teeth to walking etc.

This accounts for rest of the calories consumed.

mayoclinic.org

[patliputra]

As a matter of fact bioavailability of macro or micronutrients in any food is very difficult to assess, because of a plethora of factors affecting bioavailability. But in case of macronutrients, it is generally assumed that that 90% is available.

In specific case of nuts,the fibrous covering is broken down in mouth by the process or mastication and enzymic actions. The fibre is carried to colon where it is acted upon by colonic bacteria.

So what was the validity of this point,I failed to understand.

[patliputra]

Do you mean to say that 30gms of peanut SWALLOWED one by one during whole waking hours ?

[patliputra]

It is hypothetical question ,so prefer not to answer.

[patliputra]

Last paragraph is fairly known and no body is trying to co relate either with obesity or calories in and calories out theory.

It is hypothetical because (,may be my knowledge is limited,) I am yet to know any body SWALLOWING peanut whole over a period of 10 hours. Please enlighten me or just evasive reply ,no time !😃😃

[patliputra]

I like to know what happens when swallowed whole

I am not worried with or without any logical response.

[patliputra]

I am waiting for the citation which you have promised.

Meanwhile,what I think,repeat think that this is not a safe experiment. Reasons, 1. If peanut is not crushed in mouth ,gastric and intestinal juices,won't be able to digest it. So it will go out intact without providing any nutrition. 2. It will get stuck in intestine and cause problems which over a period of time may need surgical intervention.

[patliputra in reply to patliputra]

Adding to above comment,it is valid for adults. In children or toddlers it is altogether different proposition.

[patliputra]

Surprisingly no one is talking about Empty Calories !

[Hidden]

There is so much of different opinion in calories whether it is use or useless similarly

there is different no. given so much guidelines for consumption of calories .

In my knowledge calorie is

the person required 30gms of calories /kg of wt

Example if the person is 60 kg he used 1800 calorie maximum for health

if he is over wt or obesity he must reduce it to 20 or 25 calorie/kg of wt

if he is under wt he must increase his calories+ 5 or 10 /kg of wt

Above is healthy person

but no research has given common guidelines to quantity of carb protein and fat also

And also all studies cannot count the empty calories that if we do not any thing body will burn some calories by seeing TV by simply sitting also burn so much calories

Some of them think if we eat without any risk calories burnt

this is the nature secret of the body once consuming food body will not utilise and left it goes for toxin if we give some pain to the body then the consuming food digested easily the mineral and vitamins most of utilising the body and only toxin will removed the body

Further carbohydrate and fat or protein should be within the calorie limit the quantity is different from person to person and also working nature and also female or male

U may know So must of cricket player had fair and thin and fitness bod they make hard excercise and burnt a most of food in activity So their body became fit they not counted calories and also no fat or carb simply eat and burnt

We the worker no doing hard work and some of them are also maintained sedentary life

I am using minimum of calories it controls my B S level and BP also within the

normal value

To all these if our liver organs is working good self then there is no problems

if u once consume the food if u given gap for more than 4 to 6 hours then all the food will digest then only u consume then there is no harmful

In shortly i am l post my Blood test report and also diet style and compare yourself

[patliputra]

The issue is very complicated and each person has to decide for himself,what is best for him. Of course a little knowledge about different ingredients and aspects of nutrition will help to achieve his goals.