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Zest: Calories
The human body takes its energy from food and drink, this energy is measured in units of 'calories'. One calorie provides enough energy to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree centigrade.
Confused?
Some confusion arises with this topic when customers note the difference in energy measurements on food labeling. Some producers like to measure food in 'Kcal' and others in 'calories'. There is a difference in these measurements but this difference only applies within the scientific sector. For us foodies...just relax....within dietary terms Kcal and calories simply mean the same thing.
How many calories do you need?
How many calories you require on a daily basis can vary depending on your lifestyle, age, height, weight, your basic level of activity and your body composition. However as a rough guideline the average male requires 2500 calories and the average female 2000 calories. If you're a male and you consume more than 2500 calories you're going to begin to accumulate fat, if you want to commence to lose weight you need to consume less than 2500 calories in order to create a 'calorie deficit'. (Similarly if you're a female and looking to lose weight you need to consume less than your required 2000 calories.)
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The energy we get from food and drink is measured in units of 'calories'. Different food types provide different amounts of calories |
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| Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. A 100ml of average; red wine contains 70 calories; vodka 244 calories |
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| Fats contain 9 calories per gram. 100g of average; ice cream 180 calories; clotted cream 600 calories |
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| Carbohydrates contains 4 calories per gram. 100g of average; roast potatoes 140 calories; pasta 110 calories |
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| Protein contains 4 calories per gram. 100g of average; chicken 200 calories; beef 280 calories |
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To put this into perspective fat and alcohol provides almost twice as much energy gram for gram than carbohydrates and protein.
Before you jump on your horse and head on down to the supermarket to sort out your new diet remember that even though some dishes and ingredients are loosely grouped within certain food groups they are not completely composed of said group. For example, clotted cream can be largely classed as a fat, however it also contains smaller quantities of protein and carbohydrates in it. Therefore even though the food group fat has 9 calories per gram in it your average clotted cream only has 6 calories per gram in it.
Therefore to get a closer understanding of how many calories a certain food or ingredient has, where possible, always check the nutritional labeling.
Armed with the above knowledge you can begin to control your intake of calories as a means of dieting. There are two important methods for controlling you energy intake, these are 'calorie counting' and 'portion control'. To find out more about these methods check out the next section: Dieting
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