Amazing myths about calories. What are calories and interesting facts about them Facts about calories: minimum calorie threshold that is safe for weight loss
And are all calories the same? Answers to the most exciting questions losing weight, as well as interesting facts about proteins, fats and carbohydrates - in our material.
Calories can be called the body's energy fuel. We need them every minute of our lives, no matter what we do - resting or awake, hitting a punching bag until we sweat or lazing on sea waves. In order for us to feel good and be healthy, our calorie supply must be constantly replenished. This means making sure that the body gets the right amount of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Without maintaining the balance of nutrients, the normal functioning of the organs and systems of the body is impossible. Each component of the triad performs a strictly assigned role. Therefore, you cannot replace carbohydrates with proteins, and fats with carbohydrates. This principle of losing weight may give quick results, but in the long term it will undermine your health.
Fact 2: Not all calories are created equal
One gram of product, depending on whether it is a protein, carbohydrate or fatty food, contains a different number of kilocalories. For carbohydrate and protein dishes this figure is 4, and for fatty ones - 9 kcal. But, despite such a high calorie content of fatty foods, you should not give it up. Humans need fats for the production of hormones and the functioning of body cells. Interestingly, the recovery rate nervous system is also directly dependent on fats. Scientists' studies show that nerve cells recover faster if they eat sufficient quantity unsaturated vegetable fats.
Fact 3: If you feel tired, load up on carbohydrates.
A proven way to quickly replenish energy reserves is to eat a chocolate bar. Carbohydrate foods entering the body are broken down into glucose, which in turn guarantees a surge of strength (albeit short-term). That's why it's so important to pamper yourself with healthy carbohydrate foods. And, by the way, there are not so few of them!
Sources of healthy carbohydrates: fresh vegetables and fruits, cereal foods.
The sculpted body of athletes is earned through hard work and then gym, but without proper nutrition it is impossible to find it. That's why it's so popular today protein shakes! Protein food - building material for body tissues. Proteins are involved in the production of many hormones. And if the body does not have enough carbohydrates, it uses proteins as an alternative source of energy.
Sources of healthy proteins: dairy products, legumes, poultry, meat, seafood.
Fact 5: If you want to stay young, eat fatty foods.
Human health and well-being largely depend on the intake of fats into the body. Vitamins of “youth” - A, E and K are fat-soluble. This means that they are absorbed only in tandem with fats. But if the amount of the latter exceeds the permissible norm, fats are deposited in the tissues of the body. And here it’s time to think not about youth and beauty, but about maintaining health, because overweight increases the risk of many serious diseases.
Sources of healthy fats: fatty fish, nuts, natural oils.
Fact 6: If you want to lose weight, eat a balanced diet.
To have a slim and fit body, be in in great shape and look great, an adult needs to maintain a balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates. Nutritionists have created the ideal proportions!
50-60% of the daily diet should come from carbohydrates, 10-15% from fats, and the last 30-35% - for squirrels.
It is very simple to create a nutrition menu in such a way that this balance is not disturbed. There are special mobile applications for calorie counting, created virtual diaries and interactive programs. If you wish, you can create your daily diet yourself. Manufacturers indicate the energy value of dishes on food labels. It’s worth adding all the indicators together and the key to losing weight is in your hands!
If your goal is weight loss, burn more calories than you consume. This is the easiest way to lose extra pounds without losing your health.
IN lately A diet based on the principles of zero calorie is gaining popularity. According to its canons, some food products have a negative calorie content - their absorption by the body requires more expenditure than the number of calories that comes with them. It is assumed that consuming such products will promote weight loss.
But in fact, there are no products with negative or zero calories. The only exception is water, as it contains no nutrients. Why do some foreign food labels say “0% calories”? The thing is that the directives of the Office for Sanitary Supervision of Quality food products and medicines, the USA (abbreviated as FDA) allows the label “zero calorie content” if the product contains less than 5 kcal per 1 g. A winning marketing move!
Fact 8: The caloric content of a product indicated on the label is always approximate.
You shouldn’t give up your favorite chocolate just because its calorie content is 5-7 kcal higher than a diet bar. Most likely, the nutritional value of these products is the same. Surprising but true! Official FDA guidelines allow for an error of up to 20% in food calorie calculations.
When compiling your daily diet, you should always keep in mind that you are using average indicators. Exceeding the caloric intake by a few kcal per day, just like underestimating, will not cause harm to the figure.
Many nutritionists recommend cutting calories if you want to lose weight. But you need to do this wisely. You cannot cross the red line of 1200 kcal. The human body needs approximately this amount to maintain biochemical processes and the functioning of its systems.
The best advice for losing weight is to calculate the calorie content of your daily diet and reduce it by 10%. Did you see that the weight has stopped? Repeat, and so on, until you reach the desired result. But remember: your diet cannot be less than 1200 kcal! Low-calorie diets, mono-diets, as well as fasting days practiced too often is not only a serious health risk, but also a direct road to slowing down metabolism. This means that after returning to your usual diet, you will gain weight with minimal calorie intake. So is the game worth the candle?
Calories are the amount of energy the body receives from processing food. This energy is measured in kilocalories or kilojoules. The calorie content of food is determined by combustion: the product is burned in a special oven, and special sensors count the amount of energy released. But food manufacturers simply know how much protein, fat and carbohydrates are in their product. And they calculate calories mathematically. There are 4 kcal in 1 gram of protein, 9 kcal in 1 gram of fat, 4 kcal in 1 gram of carbohydrates, and 7 kcal in 1 gram of alcohol.
Knowing the calorie content of a product is useful for those who do not want to gain weight. There are special formulas and online calculators, which, depending on your age, weight, gender and physical activity, will calculate how many calories you need to eat per day. And to lose weight, you just need to create a 30% deficit.
Initially, for those who decide to go on a low-calorie diet, I advise you to start a diary and write down everything you eat during the day. And then calculate and understand - where are you going through what you can refuse? Then write every day what you ate, and in a month you will stop weighing food, and at first glance you will determine how many calories are in your plate. This diet is very effective, everyone loses weight, and at a normal speed that is not dangerous to health. About 3-4 kg per month. Once you reach your ideal weight, you just need to switch to the number of calories you need depending on your parameters and lifestyle. The weight is not gained back.
The good thing about the diet is that you can eat whatever you want. And cakes and chocolate, but within the daily caloric intake.
Despite the fact that in modern world More and more people are beginning to monitor their weight; for many, this problem turns into a pathology and calorie counting becomes an integral part of their lives. But rarely does one of the representatives of people who are faithfully dieting be able to answer the question “What is a calorie?” There are also those who believe that this is a substance that makes us fat. Let's figure it out.
Let's start with an abstract topic. As a rule, it is water that plays the role of a “basic” determinant in many areas of our life. This is how we measure temperature in Celsius, considering that at 0 degrees water freezes and boils at 100 degrees. So in calorie definitions, water is the determining factor.
Before we define a calorie, let's imagine two pots with different amounts of water that are placed on two stoves. Despite the fact that the boiling point of water is constant and the stoves operate in the same mode, the pan with less water will boil first. And if there were twice as much water, then it would take more time or it would be necessary to supply more heat by turning on the stove to a more powerful mode.
How much higher do we need to turn on the stove to increase the temperature of the water in the pan by only 1 degree? What if we want to increase only 1 gram of water by 1 degree? So, we smoothly moved on to the concept of calories. A calorie is not a substance, a vitamin, a protein, or a fat. A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. A kilocalorie is a thousand calories. A calorie is just a unit of measurement and we cannot gain weight from it, as many believe. But there is still a connection.
Let's first understand where the heat comes from. Heat is the release of energy that is generated as a result of the combustion of fuel. So many stoves run on gas, and in this case the fuel is gas. It's no secret that people get their energy from food. In the digestive organs, food is processed and burned. And thanks to this energy from food, many vital processes are carried out.
To maintain vitality different people you need different amounts of calories. On average, an adult needs from two to three thousand calories a day, and those leading an active lifestyle and athletes need 4000. A child needs more calories than an elderly person. We say “needs calories,” meaning that a certain amount of energy must enter his body.
But let’s imagine that a person does not lead an active lifestyle, but eats high-calorie foods, i.e. products that produce a lot of energy when burned. During digestion, they are inevitably burned, and the energy is distributed throughout the human body. But in our example, a person does not use all the energy and it cannot leave the body, because... This is not some substance, but energy. And therefore, this energy is stored in the body in reserve in the form of the very fat that many dieters are so afraid of.
So, let's summarize:
A calorie is not a substance, it is a unit of measurement;
Calorie – the amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree;
During digestion, combustion of products occurs, where energy and heat are taken, which is measured in calories;
An adult needs two to three thousand calories daily;
Unused energy is stored in a person in the form of fat, because... unable to leave the body unless a person uses it.
Interesting things about calories or how we lose energy:
-making the bed. 60 calories are spent.
- wipe the dust, vacuum, wash the floor. 250 calories are spent.
-wash one window in the room by hand. 50 calories are spent.
- iron clothes while standing. 100 calories are spent.
-prepare a traditional lunch (first, second and third). 60 calories are spent.
-walking from store to store at a fast pace. 100 calories are spent.
-jog (half an hour). 600 calories are spent.
-dig up 2 beds (one and a half meters per meter). 500 calories are spent.
-Healthy night's sleep. 70 calories are spent.
Measurements are given in calories, the energy value of food is measured in kilocalories.
So, let's summarize:
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Let's start with an abstract topic. As a rule, it is water that plays the role of a “basic” determinant in many areas of our life. This is how we measure temperature in Celsius, considering that at 0 degrees water freezes, and at 100 degrees it boils, and in calorie definitions, water is the determinant.
Before we define a calorie, let's imagine two pots with different amounts of water that are placed on two stoves. Despite the fact that the boiling temperature of water is constant and the stoves operate in the same mode, the pan with less water will boil first. And if there were twice as much water, then it would take more time or it would be necessary to supply more heat by turning on the stove to a more powerful mode.
How much higher do we need to turn on the stove to increase the temperature of the water in the pan by only 1 degree? What if we want to increase only 1 gram of water by 1 degree? So, we smoothly moved on to the concept of calories. A calorie is not a substance, a vitamin, a protein, or a fat. A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. A kilocalorie is a thousand calories. A calorie is just a unit of measurement and we cannot gain weight from it, as many people believe. But there is still a connection.
Let's first figure out where the heat comes from. Heat is the release of energy that is generated as a result of the combustion of fuel. So many stoves run on gas, and in this case the fuel is gas. It's no secret that people get their energy from food. In the digestive organs, food products are processed and burned. And thanks to this energy from food, many vital processes are carried out.
Different people need different amounts of calories to maintain vitality. On average, an adult needs from two to three thousand calories a day, and those leading an active lifestyle and athletes need 4000. A child needs more calories than an elderly person. We say “needs calories,” meaning that a certain amount of energy must enter his body.
But let’s imagine that a person does not lead an active lifestyle, but eats high-calorie foods, i.e. products that produce a lot of energy when burned. During digestion, foods inevitably burn, and energy is distributed throughout the human body. But in our example, a person does not use all the energy and it cannot leave the body, because... This is not some substance, but energy. And therefore, this energy is stored in the body in reserve in the form of the very fat that many dieters are so afraid of.
So, let's summarize:
A calorie is not a substance, it is a unit of measurement;
Calorie - the amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree;
During digestion, combustion of foods occurs, where energy and heat are taken, which is measured in calories;
An adult needs from two to three thousand calories daily;
Unused energy is stored in a person in the form of fat, because... unable to leave the body unless a person uses it.
Interesting Facts About Calories or How We Lose Energy
* Making the bed. 60 calories are spent.
* Wipe the dust, vacuum, wash the floor. 250 calories are spent.
* Hand wash one window in the room. 50 calories are spent.
* Iron clothes while standing. 100 calories are spent.
* Prepare a traditional lunch (first, second and third). 60 calories are spent.
* Walking from store to store at a fast pace. 100 calories are spent.
* Jog (half an hour). 600 calories are spent.
* Dig up 2 beds (one and a half meters per meter). 500 calories are spent.
* Healthy night's sleep. 70 calories are spent.
Measurements are given in calories, the energy value of food is measured in kilocalories.
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