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All you should know about calories

Although you cannot see them nor touch them, calories are the ones that allow you to open your eyes when you wake up, move your legs when you walk or concentrate while you work. Learn how far from being the bad ones in your diet story, they can keep you in shape, as long as you eat the ones your body needs.

 

What are calories?

They are defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C from a standard initial temperature. In nutrition we use the kilocalorie (1,000 calories = 1 kilocalorie) to measure the nutritional value of foods. According to nutritionists, the only nutriments that give the body energy are carbohydrates, fat and proteins. When these are digested, the enzymes break them into glucose, fatty acids, glycerol and amino acids, and they are transported through the blood stream to provide energy.

 

 

 

How many do I need to live?

The following factors determine the caloric intake required per day:

Basal Metabolic Rate

The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about twelve hours of fasting in humans). The release of energy in this state is enough only for the functioning of the vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain and the rest of the nervous system, liver, kidneys, sex organs, muscles and skin. All these activities use 70% of your caloric intake and is calculated in the following way:

For men: 66.4730 + (13.7516 x your weight in kilograms) + (5.0033 x your height in centimeters) - (6.7550 x your age in years)

For women: 655.0955 + (9.5634 x your weight in kilograms) + (1.8496 x your height in centimeters) - (4.6756 x your age in years)

Physical Activity

Eat around 20% of your total calorie intake and they are all the body movements you make throughout the day (getting out of bed, stretching, ironing, walking, going up and down the stairs, sports).

Thermogenic Effect

Equals 10% of your caloric needs and it refers to the energy you use to metabolize the components of the food you eat and transport them to your body cells.

 

Why can they affect weight?

When the amount of energy in the food you eat is greater than the amount your body burns, the excess calories accumulate in the fatty layer in the form of fat to be used slowly. These fat deposits usually gather around your abdomen, butt, arms and legs. This explains why a person who eats a lot, increases their body out of proportion.

 

Caloric Intake

In order to have your diet cover the amount of calories you need, you can follow the recommended diet portions according to your level of activities:

1,600 Calories - Recommended for a sedentary life style

 

2,200 Calories - Recommended for active adults, kids and teenagers

 

2,800 Calories - Recommended if you practice intense activities or of high endurance (athletes)

 

 

 

 

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