What is a calorie budget. What are calories. How are food calories measured?

On each package of food and drinks, you can find not only the composition, but also the calorie content, the number of calories. How the calorie content of a factory-made and home-made product is determined, what these numbers mean, whether you need to pay attention to them, and who cares about counting calories, says MedAboutMe.

calories

A calorie is a unit of heat when a given amount of a substance is burned. The term "calorie" was proposed by the Swedish physicist Johann Wilke in the middle of the 18th century. The word itself comes from the Latin calor, heat. Until recently, the definitions "large calorie", "small calorie" were used, later they were replaced by kilocalories, kcal, and just calories.

Johann Wilke initially used the unit of caloric content solely to calculate the heat released during the combustion of fuel: firewood, sawdust, coal. Thus, the energy efficiency of various materials used for space heating and used in moving mechanisms was studied. Until now, the terms “calorie content of fuel” can be found in the special literature, and gigacalories (Gcal), meaning 109 calories, are most often the unit of measurement.

If we ignore the wood and coal theme, the calorie content of food for living beings determines everything that was implied by the Swedish scientist when burning logs. The calorie content of food products is determined by their energy value, which the body receives when digesting food. Our organisms need a temperature of about 37°C to maintain their vital functions. Burned "fuel", that is, digestible food, allows the body to produce energy for temperature balance, the implementation of metabolic processes. The amount of energy redistributed from a product to the body is determined by the number of calories in the food or dish eaten.

When applied to foodstuffs, the use of the term "calorie", "caloric value" began in the 1900s, when food began to be evaluated as a "fuel" for living organisms. But the term became widespread only at the end of the last century, with the adoption of legislative provisions on the mandatory indication of the energy value of food products on packages.

To accurately determine the calorie content of food or any other substance, a calorimeter is used. In this device, a certain amount of the test product is burned and it is determined how much heat is released during its combustion into the environment, by how much the temperature rises.

In modern conditions, food is burned in a calorimeter for scientific purposes, and the calorie content of food and drinks is determined in accordance with the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the composition per 100 g of mass. So, 1 gram of carbohydrates or proteins, when burned, releases about 4 kcal, and 1 g of fat - 9 kilocalories.

There is also a reverse process that allows you to determine the physiological energy value of the product and the amount of energy a person needs for various activities. To determine, for example, the number of calories expended while running, a test volunteer is closed in a sealed chamber of the calorimeter and the amount of heat released by him during this physical exercise is estimated, based on this indicator, how many calories are burned.

The rate of calorie intake

The norm of the average daily calorie content of food for people varies depending on many factors. If we examine two people of different weight categories in a calorimeter, then even with the same running time and applied efforts, the released amount of heat will be different. Gender, physical parameters, age, peculiarities of the metabolic process and, of course, the amount and type of physical activity affect the energy costs of the body.

The rate of calories received by a person with food also depends on the ratio of muscle mass and body fat. Different organs and tissues in the body use different amounts of energy. Muscle fibers can use significantly more calories than adipose tissue.

Thus, speaking about the average calorie intake in a set of products consumed during the day, one can name only very approximate figures that do not reflect the real picture. An individual calorie intake, if necessary, should take into account all of these factors. Only a complete medical examination of the body can provide reliable figures on the degree of assimilation of food and the amount of energy expended.

But even after the examination, these values \u200b\u200bmay change. So, in accordance with studies of the last decade, the ambient temperature during human sleep affects metabolic processes: in people who prefer to spend night hours in a bedroom with an air temperature of 18 ° C and below, metabolic processes are accelerated with a constant level of physical activity and diet nutrition, which means they burn more calories than those who sleep in a warm room. A 3 degree increase in bedroom temperature lowers the metabolic rate to an average level.

At the same time, such a companion of modern man as stress can have the opposite effect on a person with low air temperature. According to one study, daily stressful exposure increases blood triglyceride levels and also contributes to a decrease in dietary calorie expenditure, at least, according to the researchers, in the female population.

Even such, it would seem, aspects of life that are not directly related to physiology affect the calculation of the calorie content of foods consumed.

If you burn 1 liter of vegetable oil in a calorimeter, then the devices record the release of up to nine million calories, or 9,000 kilocalories, kcal. A person, on average, per day, depending on physiological indicators and activity level, spends 2,000-3,000 kcal. Thus, a liter of vegetable oil, it would seem, is quite enough for a person to get enough energy to maintain a body temperature at the level of 36.6 ° C, which is necessary for a full life, and the processes of metabolism and metabolism in the body occur at the proper level.

Approximately such a theory existed until 1920, when it was believed that the calorie content of food determines its value for a living organism and prevails over the content and balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. However, after a series of scientific studies in which volunteers ate butter and white rice, it became clear that the calorie content of food is not the only important indicator for the body.

However, the calculation of calories is constantly used to determine the general, basic direction of the average daily diet of a person. Focusing on the calculation of calories in accordance with the indicators, we can talk about the daily calorie intake for a particular person, for example, in the amount of 2,000 kcal. Based on this indicator, they already make up a diet, also taking into account the body's needs for proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Without the second stage based on the composition of the products, for example, 400 g of chocolate per day or several liters of soda could have been included in the diet of this conditional person, covering the need for calories, but causing harm to health. That is why the calculation of calories is the basis from which they start in the preparation of diets and diets, but it cannot be taken as the only important indicator.

How many calories do you need per day: the influence of physiological factors

When calculating how many calories you need per day, you need to consider the following main factors:

growth;
body mass;
gender, energy consumption in men is on average higher than in women;
age, as with age, metabolic processes in the body slow down;
the percentage of muscle and adipose tissue;
level of physical activity.

These are the main indicators that affect the energy costs of the body. Most formulas designed to independently calculate how many calories the body needs per day do not take into account the amount of muscle tissue and the amount of fat, which reduces the accuracy of the calculations.

In any case, even if the result of the formula looks like “your daily calorie intake is 2,439 kcal”, it should be taken approximately, without calculating grams of meat, vegetables, and sugar daily. The norm in this case is about 2.5 thousand kilocalories per day, and if the basis of nutrition is combined ready-made meals (soups, complex side dishes, meat with sauce, semi-finished products, finished products), then you should be aware that the calculation of the calorie content of such dishes is based on a very approximate understanding of the composition.

Calorie counting in diets and sports is based on the ratio of calories consumed and energy expended. The following figures are accepted for the main energy metabolism: in a state of absolute rest, without movement, a person spends approximately from 0.9 to 1 kcal per 1 kilogram of body weight per hour (women and men, respectively). That is, a woman with a body weight of 70 kg spends during a quiet sleep or lying in bed in the morning before breakfast at a comfortable air temperature 63 kilocalories per hour, a man with the same weight - 70 kcal.

If such a person continues to stay in a lying position without eating during the day, then his energy consumption will be 1512 kcal for a woman and 1680 for a man.

Basal metabolism is an average value. As shown above, it depends on the rate of metabolic processes, metabolic rate, age, amount of muscle mass, air temperature and other factors.

The total energy consumption during the day is made up of several numbers:

energy consumption for the basic metabolism in the body;
the energy expended on the assimilation of food;
energy consumption during work and leisure, any activity other than a state of rest.

The change in body weight is thus based on two main changes: a decrease or increase in the energy value of food and an increase or decrease in physical activity.

How many calories are burned during different activities

When calculating how many calories are burned during various activities, units of kilocalories, kcal, are used. Approximate calorie consumption figures for a person with a stable metabolism that meets the standards are as follows:

sleep, 8 hours - 350 kcal;
rest lying down, 2 hours - 120 kcal;
walking (road to work, home, shopping), 1 hour - 206 kcal;
sedentary work in the office, 8 hours - 810 kcal;
cooking, 1 hour - 171 kcal;
watching TV, 2 hours - 240 kcal.

To this figure is added the energy expended by the body on the assimilation of food. Carbohydrates and fats are the easiest to digest, protein digestion requires almost 10 times more energy from the body. With an average balanced diet and metabolism, the cost of assimilation is 6.5% of the main metabolism, so a person with a body weight of 70 kg spends another 110 kcal per day.

In total, a man with a body weight of 70 kg, an inactive lifestyle and sedentary work spends 2,217 kcal during the day. If it is necessary to maintain body weight at this level, he needs to eat food with this level of energy value.

Any additional activity causes the consumption of calories. Talking on the phone while sitting or lying down, reading aloud, taking a hot tub, going up and down stairs—anything other than lying down requires extra energy from the body.

In order not to be constantly guided by calorie counters and calculators and not to look into calorie tables every time, they use calculation formulas.

There are two well-known and confirmed formulas that allow you to calculate how many calories a person burns: Harris-Benedict and Muffin-Jeor (according to experts, more accurate).

According to the basic formula, it is possible to calculate the individual basic volume of energy consumption according to the following parameters:

for women: body weight, kg * 10 + height (cm) * 6.25 - age (years) * 5 - 161;
for men: body weight, kg * 10 + height (cm) * 6.25 - age (years) * 5 + 5.

Based on the main amount of calorie expenditure, the following calculations are made:

with a sedentary lifestyle - the main volume * 1.2;
for light physical activity, moderate sports 1-3 times/week, the coefficient is 1.375;
in sports 3-5 times / week - 1.55;
with high activity - a coefficient of increase in calorie consumption of 1.725;
with increased activity, increased loads, training twice a day, the main amount of costs is multiplied by a factor of 1.9.

For example, a woman in her 30s who leads a sedentary lifestyle (office work) with a body weight of 30 kg and a height of 160 cm:

70 kg * 10 + 160 * 6.25 - 30 * 5 - 161 \u003d 1,389 kcal of the main cost

Inactive lifestyle coefficient 1.2*1389 = 1667 kcal/day.

Conclusions: in order to maintain the existing body weight, this woman needs to eat food with an energy value of no more and no less than 1,667 kilocalories per day.

It is worth remembering that the results of the calculations will change annually, and take into account various additional factors that affect the change in calorie consumption and the rate of metabolic processes.

Calorie counting for weight loss

Based on the figures of the body's total need for calories, calculated according to tables or formulas, you can determine the upper limit of the caloric content of food consumed and start eating less or exercising more. How much should I change my diet or increase activity?

By incorporating small amounts of physical activity into daily life (1-3 times a week), the hypothetical woman from the example above increases calorie expenditure to 1900. By staying on the same diet, she creates a calorie deficit, and to cover the deficit, the body begins to process fat cells into energy, promoting weight loss.

An alternative option is to reduce the energy value of food. The recommended reduction rate for weight loss is no more than 20% of the total calorie content, that is, 1667 * 80% \u003d 1333 kcal.

With such a value of the diet, a woman will begin to lose weight. Many strive for rapid weight loss, extreme forms of dieting, cutting the diet by 40%. In such a case, the woman in the example could begin to meet the 1,000 kcal/day (1667*60%) calorie limit. However, experts warn that the daily diet of women should be at least 1,200 kcal, men - 1,800 kcal, reducing the energy value of food below these limits is extremely dangerous for health.

Calorie counters are modern devices that allow those who monitor the consumption of a certain amount of calories during the day to know the approximate level of energy value of food. There are calorie counters in the form of programs that allow you to determine the calorie content of a dish from a photo on your smartphone, as well as classic counters that require you to enter the name, weight of the product consumed.

It is no secret that the definition of calorie content from a photograph is rather arbitrary and can provide a very distant understanding of the composition and energy value of a dish.

The most accurate are methods in which a person independently weighs all the components of food on a kitchen scale, while determining its parameters: lean or fatty fish, chicken skin, red or white poultry meat, green, yellow, red peppers, varieties of fruits, etc. . With this approach, which allows you to measure and account for food in grams, especially high-calorie foods (sugar, oil, fats), you can achieve a fairly accurate level of counting calories consumed and use once measured recipes and food compositions.

Calorie calculators

Calorie calculators calculate a person's energy expenditure during the day. Depending on the formula used, these programs take into account factors such as current body weight and desired goal, height, age, physical activity, and gender of the person.

The calculation in calorie calculators is based on one of the above formulas, which are considered the most common. More accurate calorie calculators allow you to enter not just an indication of the level of physical activity, but calculate energy expenditure depending on the type and duration of activity, for example, separate calorie calculations for washing dishes, walking with a stroller, going to the store, reading e-mail.

Despite the increased accuracy of such calculations, the final figures will not differ by an order of magnitude from the basic calorie consumption according to one of the classic formulas.

When playing sports, the calculation of the number of calories for weight loss is based on two factors: the caloric content of the food consumed and the energy expenditure of the body. It is also important to consider the percentage of muscle and adipose tissue in the body and the composition of food. Calories for weight loss can be both a factor in the lack of energy value of food, and a surplus of physical activity. For an accurate calculation of the number of calories for weight loss during sports, it is worth consulting with a nutritionist specializing in athletes, or a trainer-instructor with specialized training in the field of nutrition.

How to Calculate Calories for Weight Gain

Despite the statistics showing an increased proportion of the overweight population, the need to increase body weight is far from uncommon. You can hear recommendations from doctors to parents of underweight children, nutritionists - to too thin people, sports instructors - to athletes who need to create a mass surplus before the stage of muscle tissue growth or to move to another weight category.

Depending on the initial data, the goal of weight gain and living conditions (diet, somatic and other diseases, the possibility of active movement), approaches and methods differ. You can calculate calories to increase body weight in accordance with the Muffin-Jeor or Harris-Benedict formulas, which allow you to find out the main average daily energy costs of the body. The desired surplus of calories is based on determining the range between stable energy expenditure and the possible additional amount of caloric content of food.

The calorie content of staple foods is determined by nutritionists based on the composition of the product. With known data on the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in food, calorie content is calculated by the formula:

amount of protein per 100 g * 4 + amount of carbohydrates per 100 g * 4 + amount of fat per 100 g * 9

The total amount means the calorie content of the product at the rate of 100 g.

The calorie tables of staple foods and the formulas on the packages of industrially produced or packaged foods provide an estimate of how much energy the body will receive from eating a given food.

Food calorie tables distributed on the Internet contain a lot of useful data. From them you can find out how many calories are in an egg, milk, butter, vegetables, various types of meat and other monocomponent products.

Of course, the data given in the calorie tables are quite average. Two factors contribute to this:

Firstly, the calorie content and composition of food largely depends on its origin. For vegetables, these are varieties, growing regions, and harvest time. For meat, milk, products of animal origin - species, breeds of animals, birds, fish, the specifics of the area in which they grew up, the food supply. The average concept of "lean beef" may differ in the allowable percentage of fat by 5-10%;
for factory-made products used in the calorie table, the accuracy of the data is affected by the second factor. Not always "wheat horns" are made from wheat flour of the same hardness, which affects the content of protein and fat. And also some manufacturers, using approved recipes, change them in order to reduce the cost of production or use more affordable raw materials at the moment.

Thus, calorie tables may not contain completely reliable data. Moreover, if we compare several tables of the energy value of foods, we can conclude that the calorie content of the same dish differs in different sources. How to be?

The daily calorie intake for a person is not a strict rule that must be followed to every unit. Taking data from one source as basic indicators, you can successfully form a daily diet, taking into account average indicators.

To accurately determine the number of calories in foods, you must use a calorimeter. By burning the product in a sealed chamber, you can measure how much of it will increase the temperature of the water by 1 degree. Thus, the exact energy value is determined.

But it is impossible to burn all foodstuffs, all vegetables, eggs, varieties of cutlets or liters of borscht. Therefore, when counting calories in various dishes, foods, drinks, they are guided by the approximate composition. Based on the ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, they calculate calories. So, the calorie content of protein and carbohydrates is 4 kilocalories per 100 g, fats are about 9 kcal. Thus, knowing the composition of the product, you can make an independent calculation of calories.

The calorie content of compound dishes is also considered. It is necessary to weigh and evaluate the energy value of each component of the dish. These calorie calculations are handled by nutritionists and formulators in the food industry.

However, if a person is recommended a strict diet for medical reasons, and it is desirable not to exceed the average daily caloric intake, it is recommended to carefully consider the published data on the calorie content of complex dishes. There is a significant difference in the energy value of lean cabbage soup, chicken breast soup or boiled in a strong meat broth with the addition of fatty sour cream. If it’s not about curiosity, but about health, it’s worth calculating calories on your own or with the help of a nutritionist.

How many calories are in an egg

You can pretty roughly determine how many calories are in an egg. The average, taken as a standard chicken egg, is about 160 kcal per 100 g. If you need to know exactly how many calories are in a chicken egg, you will have to focus on the category of eggs. The accepted division into categories depends on the weight of the egg with the shell, from 45 to 65 grams.

On sale there are also diet chicken eggs with a reduced fat content. Their calorie content will be slightly less than average. The most energetically valuable part of the egg is the yolk, the high fat content provides about 350 kilocalories per 100 g, but the protein in eggs is almost pure protein found in other foods. Its calorie content is considered basic, about 40 kcal per 100 g.

Calculating how many calories are in an egg also depends on several factors. In some eggs, two yolks can be found, and eggs from young hens are characterized by a smaller yolk mass and a reduced calorie content.

Well, the factor of the origin of eggs is also important: eggs from domestic laying hens in composition and energy value may differ from eggs produced by hens from poultry farms due to the free activity of birds, a greater variety of diets, and fewer additives. Domestic laying hens in cold weather bring eggs of a smaller size and with a lower calorie content; the seasonal factor does not affect hens living in a poultry farm.

Eggs are different, in fact, like birds. And their calorie content is different. A quail egg contains about 170 kcal per 100 g, duck, goose, turkey eggs have a higher fat content in the yolk, as a result, an increased energy value of the product.

When trying to calculate how many calories are in a banana, you must remember that these fruits have intraspecific differences. Most often in Russian stores you can find the so-called "fodder" bananas, large in size, with a thick skin. They differ in keeping quality, successfully ripen in boxes, well tolerate transportation from hot countries to Russia. These bananas have a mealy sweetish taste, whitish flesh and about 90 kilocalories per 100 g.

Bananas, which are considered a higher grade, are smaller, more rounded at the stem, very thin skin, pronounced aroma and taste. It is almost impossible to store and transport them fresh, but it is these bananas that are used in the manufacture of dried fruits. The energy value of these fresh fruits reaches 110 kcal per 100 g, and if you ask yourself how many calories are in a dried banana, then the energy value of such a product can vary from 250 to 400 kcal per 100 g, since some manufacturers use sugar syrup to enhance the taste.

Vegetable and Butter Calories

Depending on the type of oil, the calorie content of this product varies significantly. For example, butter contains about 750 kcal per 100 g, and “peasant” butter with 72.5% fat contains about 650.

If the butter is subjected to melting, contributing to the maximum yield of liquid, then the energy value of such melted butter will increase significantly and amount to 890 kilocalories per 100 grams of product.

Unlike butter, vegetable oils are practically unchanged in energy value, they are pure without additional inclusions. From a calorie point of view, no matter which type you choose, sunflower, corn, olive, soybean or any other vegetable oil, the calories in this product do not depend on the raw materials, only on the production and refining process. On average, all vegetable oils contain 890 kcal per 100 g, so a tablespoon of oil contains about 100 kcal.

The calorie content of milk depends on several factors. Firstly, milk can be either cow's or goat's; there are also exotic variants such as camel's or mare's milk. Calories, composition of the product can vary significantly depending on its origin.

In its raw form, normalized milk of cows and goats is similar in calories - 65 and 70 kcal, respectively. Milk from a pet can be calculated in terms of caloric content rather conditionally, since different animals produce milk of different fat content depending on age, feed composition, season, health and breed. It is generally accepted that a healthy cow or goat from a household brings milk yield with 6-8% milk fat.

Interestingly, pasteurized and sterilized milk with the same fat content differs in calories: pasteurized milk contains 3 units less calories.

You can often choose different types of fat content in cow's milk, from "zero", which has 0.1-0.5% fat, to high fat content, 6.5-7%. Skimmed milk has the least calories - 31 kcal per 100 g.

The highest calorie content is in milk that has undergone prolonged heat treatment. So, baked milk already contains 85 kcal per 100 g due to the evaporation of part of the liquid during processing, and condensed milk without added sugar - 140 kcal.

The most energetically valuable milk is powdered. 100 grams of whole milk powder contains 476 kilocalories.

Sugar: calories, carbohydrates

Sugar is almost pure. Its calorie content somewhat depends on the degree of processing: raw sugar and cane type have more impurities and contain an average of 360 kcal per 100 grams. Refined sugar and granulated sugar have an energy value of 379 kcal / 100 g. Since raw sugar is quite rare in modern stores and it is impossible to confuse it with other types, it should be assumed that sugar contains 379 calories per 1 gram, or 379 kilocalories per 100 g

Adding sugar to various foods significantly increases their calorie content. For example, the calorie content of condensed milk without added sugar and with its presence differ significantly: 140 and 320 kcal, respectively.

The number of calories in a vegetable such as cabbage can vary significantly. The lowest calorie variety is seaweed. This algae, having a large number of important trace elements, is extremely low in calories. 5 kilocalories per 100 grams, these are the indicators of seaweed. If the preservation of seaweed was carried out using oil, then the energy value increases depending on the recipe.

Cabbage-vegetable is also not a high-calorie product. Rich in fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, white cabbage contains an average of 25-29 kcal per 100 g, depending on the variety. Red cabbage, characterized by a rich burgundy or purple hue, contains 24 kcal / 100 g.

Cabbage, sauerkraut without added sugar, has a lower energy value than fresh, due to the increase in the amount of liquid, in such cabbage from 20 kilocalories.

Next in the scale of the energy value of this vegetable is cauliflower: it has slightly more calories than white cabbage, 30 kcal / 100 g. It is followed by kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts, 42 and 43 kilocalories, respectively.

Knowing about the low calorie content of cabbage, you should not, however, build a diet based on the abundance of this vegetable. Cabbage, especially cabbage, is rich not only in useful vitamins and minerals, but also rich in coarse fiber. The abundance of fiber in the intestines can lead to the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the development of obstruction of the intestines, requiring emergency medical intervention. Due to the high fiber content, cabbage also contributes to increased gas formation, as a result of which it is recommended to exclude people with certain gastrointestinal diseases from the diet, and it is also not recommended to eat nursing mothers, especially raw.

In absolutely all calorie tables, the calculation of the calorie content of vegetables is approximate. Depending on the growing conditions, variety, ripeness, the content of sugars and fats may vary in the same type of vegetables. However, for basic calculations of calories in the diet, such averaged data is quite enough.

Anna Koroleva

Reading time: 19 minutes

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What do we know about calories? Well, first of all, what count hard, fighting extra centimeters at the waist . And they are also considered when, on the contrary, it is necessary to gain weight - for example, athletes. But few people think about what calories give the body, and what they are. We understand the issue!

What are calories and how do they differ from kilocalories?

Contrary to stereotypes, calories are far from the concept of a unit of "fullness". Until the 20th century, this unit was used to measure thermal energy, and today it denotes the energy value of products.

Excursion into history

The term “calories” appeared in the 2nd half of the 19th century, thanks to French scientists who called the unit for calculating the heat of combustion the word “calor” - thermochemists Favre Zilberman. In the 90s of the same century, food products were “decomposed” into carbohydrates and proteins with fats with the light hand of the chemist Wilbur Atwater, after which it was in calories that they began to measure the energy value of each food group. And since the 20th century, everyone who wants to get better or lose weight urgently has started counting calories in their diets.

What is a calorie?

This term implies a certain amount of heat, with the help of which the temperature of 1 g of water rises by 1 g Celsius. In traditional physics, it is customary to measure thermal energy in joules, but in everyday life these measurements are made using calories. By the way, 1 calorie, as you know, will equal 4.1868 joules.

The difference between calories and kilocalories

Everyone who monitors their weight knows the word "calories". They are fighting with these mysterious units on all fronts, not really understanding what its action is, where it comes from and where it goes. And most importantly - how it differs from kilocalories.

To understand the issue : 1 kilocalorie (kcal) = 1 thousand calories. The analogy is clear and simple: 1 kg = 1 thousand grams.
On product packaging the energy value of food is indicated in kilocalories. The word "N calories" on the package is the illiteracy of manufacturers.
are considered illiterate and indications of expended "calories" on simulators in individual sports clubs. We are talking about kilocalories.

What are calories for - the benefits of calories for the body

To live, we need energy. Without it, it is impossible to move, “pump” blood through your body, breathe, etc. And energy comes to us from our food: how many calories - so much energy .

1 g carbs = 4 kcal.
1 g proteins - similarly, 4 kcal.
1 g fat - 9 kcal.

These ingredients make up our food.

Knowing how many of these components are in the diet, you can calculate how many calories / energy the body will receive. For example, the most popular product is oatmeal.

In 100 g of product:

6 g fat x 9 kcal = 54 kcal
51 g carbohydrates x 4 kcal = 204 kcal
12 g protein x 4 kcal = 48 kcal

Total, only in 100 g of product - 306 kcal, which the body will use during metabolism, converting proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into glucose and other sugars, and fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

Amino acids from proteins - for the formation of new cells. In particular, muscle tissue.
glucose from carbohydrates (in the form decomposed into simple sugars) - for cell nutrition. In turn, the body “hides” glucose reserves in muscle tissues and in the liver.
Fats used by the body as fuel. Some of them are sent to the liver and converted into cholesterol. Excess fat is stored by the body under the skin - with it, beauties of all ages fight (immediately after a cup of tea with a cake).

When dieting for weight gain, the ideal calorie intake scheme is as follows:

Up to 30 percent of the diet - squirrels
Up to 45 percent of the diet - carbohydrates
Up to 35 percent of the diet - fats

For weight loss:

Up to 30 percent of the diet - squirrels
Up to 50 percent - carbohydrates
Up to 20 percent - fats

How are food calories measured?

One of the most popular and effective methods today is counting calories. With it, you do not need to give up your favorite food - just keep the balance of calories in the diet.

Basic principles:

Number of calories per day = the number of kilocalories consumed per day.
What would you like to eat - irrelevant. The main thing is not to jump beyond the limit that is allowed by your caloric intake.
We do not reduce the number of kcal / day relative to the norm per day, so as not to get chronic sores and malfunctions in the body as a “bonus”.

How to measure calories in foods?

The number of kcal in a dish is measured as follows (for example, oatmeal with milk):

Products : 200 g oatmeal, 1 liter milk, 2 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp butter.
Caloric content of products : oatmeal - 732 kcal, milk - 640 kcal, salt - 0 kcal, sugar - 199 kcal, butter - 149.6 kcal.
Calorie content of the dish , final - 1720.6 kcal. Calorie content of 100 g of porridge - 134.9 kcal.

You can find the calorie content of a product in special tables, fortunately, today there is no shortage of them. But it is worth remembering that…

Calories in boiled pasta/cereals 3 times less than before their preparation (raw).
Weight of meat when cooked decreases significantly, while rice, on the contrary, increases.
dried food calories (for example, crackers, fruits, mushrooms or berries) is significantly higher than that of raw. In this case, we first find out the value of "X" (by how much the mass of the product decreased after it was dried), and only then we multiply the value of the product from the calorie content table by the number "X".
If you are making soup , then not only the calorie content of each component is taken into account, but seasonings, sour cream and other little things that we usually forget to count.

Calculate daily calorie intake

To determine this norm, we first find out the main indicators:

Metabolism (OM) . It depends on the mode of operation / movement / power supply. Calculation formula: weight x 20 kcal = RH indicator.
Age . Calculation formula: for every decade after 20 years, reduce the amount of calories by 2 percent.
Floor . A man needs more calories.
Rhythm of life (percentage of its activity) : sedentary (office and computer) - 20%, sedentary with light activity (walking, shopping, cleaning, etc.) - 30%, average activity - 40%, high (with training, with physical work) - 50%.
Physical activity (FA) . Calculation formula: metabolic rate x per percentage of activity of the rhythm of life.
Percentage of energy in digestion of food (PEPP) . Calculation formula: (physical / activity + metabolic rate) x 10%.

So, the formula for the daily calorie intake will be equal to: PEPP + FA + OV. Further, the result should be adjusted according to the age category (that is, minus 2% for each decade after 20). If the calculations are carried out for a weight loss scheme, then we clarify the result further: 1 daily portion of calories - (your weight x 7 kcal).

It should be remembered that just looking at the calorie table is not enough. It is necessary to compare the calorie content of dishes with the energy needs of a person. That is, for a future mother it will be one daily value, for a child - another, for an athlete - a third, etc.

Where are more calories?

The energy value of products depends solely on their chemical composition. The most low-calorie foods are those with an energy value below 40 kcal / 100 g.

Of the lowest calorie can be noted:

Vegetables : lettuce, onions and beets, cucumbers, sweet peppers, garlic with parsley and horseradish.
Fruits/berries : oranges and strawberries, blackberries, grapefruit, pineapples, quince with cherry plums, cherries, pomegranates, cowberries and kiwis, apples, raspberries, cherries.
Meat : rabbit and chicken, kidney, light varieties of veal and beef.
Fish : pollock and blue whiting, shrimps, hake and flounder, smelt, pike and pike perch, crucian carp with perch, carp.
Dairy : any, but fat-free.
Sweets : marshmallow, marshmallow and marmalade.
Rye bread .

The higher the amount of fiber in the product, the lower the calorie content.

The highest calorie content is 500-900 kcal per 100 g. It is not recommended to abuse such products:

Oil (any kind)
Fatty pork and bacon
Various s/s sausages
cream cakes
Nuts (any)
Chocolate

Calorie foods and energy - how to stay slim?

Calories don't make you fat or lose weight. It's just a unit of measure . But between the increase / decrease in weight and the calorie content of food, of course, there is a direct relationship. The essence of the process is simple - a person eats a product, and the energy received is converted into heat (into those same kilocalories). Moreover, 1 g of fat contains more kilocalories than 1 g of carbohydrates, namely 9 kcal . That's why fatty foods contribute to weight gain (especially when the body accumulates these kcal, and not properly spending them).

Calorie consumption should match the amount received. That's why the abundant diet of an athlete is completely unsuitable for a fragile girl with a sedentary lifestyle Everything must be in harmony!

Calorie calculation in the diet - which one is suitable for whom?

Daily diet with the calculation of calories for an adult with light physical activity.

Breakfast

2 soft-boiled eggs - 149.15 kcal.
(nuts, fruits, milk) - 225.5 kcal / serving.
Tea with milk and sugar - 43 kcal.
Bun - 335.7 kcal.

Dinner

ear - 92-100 kcal / serving.
Puree (milk, butter) - about 200 kcal / serving.
boiled beef (150 g) - 381 kcal.
Vegetable salad with butter - about 130 kcal/serving.
Dried fruits compote (200 g) - 120 kcal.
toasts - 293 kcal.

Dinner

Boiled chicken breast (150 g) - 205.5 kcal.
Vegetable salad with butter - 130 kcal / serving.
Coffee with sugar and milk - 113.7 kcal.
+ kefir before bed - 80 kcal (200 ml, 1%).

Total: 2426.55 kcal / day.

Daily calorie intake

Breakfast . Light coffee with milk + fresh fruit + egg + bread (coarse grinding) + butter + jam. In total - about 800 kcal.
Dinner . Vegetable salad with butter + 100 g liver + vermicelli with cheese + toast + cranberry juice + pear. In total - about 850 kcal.
afternoon tea . A couple of baked apples + cottage cheese with sour cream - 350 kcal.
Dinner . Puree + apple compote + bread + boiled fish. And kefir before bed. In total - about 700 kcal.

Total: 2700 kcal / day.

Daily with the calculation of calories for an athlete

Breakfast

2 hard boiled eggs - about 170 kcal.
2 slices of toasted bread (multi-cereal) - 272.00 kcal, with jam - 130 kcal.
150 g oatmeal with milk - 466.6 kcal.

2nd breakfast

Energy bar with protein - 300 kcal.
Tea with sugar - 56 kcal.

Dinner

Vegetable salad , 300 g - 202.5 kcal.
Chicken soup , 500 ml - 121.5 kcal.
Boiled beef , 250 g - 635 kcal.
Orange juice - 86 kcal.
crackers , 50 g - 352 kcal.

afternoon tea

Berry compote , 200 ml - 72 kcal.
Bun , 200 g - 678 kcal.

Almost every woman today closely monitors the calorie content of food consumed. There are even restaurants that list the number of calories in each dish right on the menu. It should be understood what a calorie is and what benefits it brings to our body.

Until now, science still cannot explain exactly how the cell turns the food we eat into energy. We just know that it is. There is no exact explanation as to why a certain cell of the body, for its normal functioning, requires precisely defined, and not just nutrients in general. Food, getting into our body, combines with oxygen. We can say that it simply "burns" like fuel. We measure the work produced by fuel in terms of calories.

Gram - calorie or small calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. A large calorie has 1000 small ones. When measuring the energy value of food, we usually use a large calorie. Each type of food, burning, supplies the body with a certain amount of calories. So, one gram of protein provides four calories, one gram of fat - nine. Often, our body does not care what products are used to obtain energy, as long as this energy is enough to support all the processes of its vital activity.

The number of calories a person needs also depends on the work he does. In a state of absolute rest, an adult requires approximately 1680 calories per day. If a person engages in some kind of movement or performs light work, the number of calories consumed increases to 3300 calories per day. If a person works long and hard throughout the day, then for the normal functioning of his body, he will need about 6000 calories per day. Children need a higher calorie diet than adults, because the children's body has a faster metabolism and burns fuel much faster. In winter, a person spends more calories than in summer, the body spends a certain amount to maintain normal body temperature.

If a person consumes more calories than his body manages to use in the process of life, then the excess is stored for future use. These excesses turn into fat. That is why most of us try to take into account the number of calories consumed. Although, to some extent, the fat layer is necessary. Initially, small droplets of fat appear in the middle of the cell, as they increase, gathering into a large drop, they completely fill the cell and inflate it, turning it into a large drop of fat surrounded by thin tissue. But this only happens in certain places in our body. Ears, forehead, nose and joints do not have adipose tissue. The female body usually accumulates more fat than men.

The main reason for the accumulation of body fat in the human body is the need for energy reserves. The usual daily food of the body is glucose, which is very well absorbed. The process of digesting fats is more complicated, but fat generates more heat than the corresponding amount of glucose. Therefore, despite the more complex processes of fat processing by the body, it is fat that is the most convenient reserve of nutrients for accumulation in the body. And only when you begin to consume fewer calories than you burn during the day, your body will begin to use its own reserves of calories, namely body fat.

You do not need to completely deprive yourself of the subcutaneous fat layer, limiting yourself in the diet. Fat is a protective material for the body, it acts as a water cushion. Due to their elasticity, fat cells are difficult to compress, so we can sit comfortably. In addition, subcutaneous fat cells are involved in the processes of thermoregulation of the body, protecting us from both cold and heat. The main thing is to properly organize nutrition so that the number of calories consumed does not exceed the number of calories you burn during the day.

What calories? A calorie is just a unit of measure: the amount of heat it takes to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. A person needs energy to live (move, breathe, think). Even a state of rest, our body needs energy to maintain vital functions: the work of the heart, nervous system, etc. We get it from food. The number of calories in food is a measure of how much energy it contains. For example, one gram of carbohydrates = 4 kcal; one gram of protein = 4 kcal; one gram of fat = 9 kcal. If you know how many proteins, fats and carbohydrates a food contains, you can determine how many calories (energy) you will get by eating it.

To maintain vitality, different people need a different amount calories. It is important to remember that our body is a very complex mechanism and there is no universal formula for everyone. Depending on height, sex, age, weight and level of physical activity, this figure may decrease or increase. An adult needs an average of 1800 - 2500 kcal per day, and an athlete - 3500 kcal. The word "necessary" means that a certain amount of energy must enter the body. Metabolism is influenced by internal processes in the body and your emotional state, as well as ambient temperature and a number of other external factors. What happens when you use more calories what do you spend? An excess of calories of any origin is fraught with excess weight. The body will spend as much as it needs, and the rest, about one third of the daily norm, will be “postponed”.

If you are consuming just the right amount calories how much you burn, and if it's only about weight, then the composition of the products does not play such a big role. One calorie is one calorie, regardless of its origin. A calorie from protein is no different from a calorie from fat - it's just a unit of energy. And as long as you spend as much energy as you eat, your weight will be stable. If you start to spend more, the weight will decrease. Another thing is when it comes to the nutritional value of products, about a beautiful body and just about health, it is of great importance here from which sources (products) calories come from. The better and more fully the food is digested, the more energy remains for cell renewal, and, consequently, for the whole organism.

One of the most common myths is that the number of fat cells does not change during life, but it is those who have more of these cells that get fat. In fact, fat cells are able to multiply and quite actively! In thin people, the number of fat cells varies from 41 to 65 million, in obese people - from 200 million. The diameter of the fat cell changes (from 70 to 120 microns) and as soon as it outgrows, a new one is formed. Fat cells almost do not die off and everyone “remembers”. And if you, no matter for what reason, were once overweight, and then lost weight, there is a high probability of returning to your previous weight.

Do you want to get rid of three or four extra pounds? First of all, you need to thoroughly review your diet and adjust it in such a way that it is aimed at constant fat burning. To do this, you need to exclude "empty" calories from the diet, giving preference to healthy foods. To "empty" calories includes all simple carbohydrates (sweets, cookies, white bread, sodas), saturated fats and trans fats (lard, butter, sour cream, donuts, fast food, chips). Useful calories You'll find it in complex carbohydrates (vegetables, cereals, brown rice, legumes, whole grain breads, fruits) and unsaturated fats (fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, and flaxseed oil). You should eat 5-6 times a day in small portions, and drink at least 8 cups of plain boiled or mineral (without gas) water. Thus, in order to lose weight, it is enough just to reduce the daily calorie intake, but it must be remembered that it must be at least 1200 kcal. You can consume an underestimated amount of calories without harm to the body for no more than two weeks. Then you should move on to a normal calorie diet.

A balanced diet should consist of 11-13% protein; from fats by 25-30% and from carbohydrates by 60-80%.

Armed with this data, as well as data on the calorie content of the product, you can easily calculate how many calories you consume over a certain period of time. The calorie content of the diet should meet the tasks of the day: if you are losing weight - this is one diet, if you decide to build muscle - another, if you just stick to a healthy diet - the third. Any kind of activity also has an expression in calories. The amount of energy consumed at rest is called the basic metabolism (in women it is 10-15% lower than in men). It should be noted that with age, the basal metabolism slows down. This is due to a decrease in muscle mass and a decrease in the biological activity of the body. However, reducing calories is only the first step towards weight loss. If you want to achieve the best result, then combine a balanced diet compiled by a dietitian with regular physical activity!

The word "calorie" comes from the Latin "calor" - "heat".

Calorie- this is an outdated (off-system) unit of measurement of energy (the amount of heat, work), which was previously widely used in physics, heat engineering, energy, and now, according to the tradition still preserved, is used to assess the energy value (calorie content) of food products and in some other cases . The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) insists on removing the calorie from circulation as soon as possible, but traditions are still strong and the calorie continues to unnerve scientists with its presence. (The calorie originates from the times when the concept of a certain hypothetical substance - caloric dominated in science. Caloric was abandoned long ago, having understood the nature of heat, but the calorie still remains. "Teplorod" - in Latin calorie.)

In the International System of Units, physicists use a different unit of energy, work and the amount of heat - joule(denoted J). If a force of 1 newton moved the body in the direction of the force at a distance of 1 meter, then they say that work of 1 joule has been done (or, equivalently, energy of 1 joule has been expended). One thousand joules is equal to one kilojoule: 1000 J = 1 kJ.

A million joules is equal to one megajoule: 1,000,000 J = 1 MJ.

There are even larger units: gigajoule (billion joules), terajoule (trillion joules), etc.

All calculations of the consumed or generated power of engines, turbines, reactors, generators, heaters are based on the joule, but not on the calorie. For example, the power of a vacuum cleaner or an audio speaker is indicated in watts (1 W = 1 J / 1 s).

What is a calorie?

1 calorie is the amount of heat required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure of 101,325 Pa.

But you can heat water at different initial temperatures. As it turned out, the amount of heat spent on heating depends on the initial temperature of the water. Thus, when heating 1 gram of water from a temperature of 14.5°C to a temperature of 15.5°C, 4.1855 J of energy must be expended. This unit of calorie is called the 15-degree calorie (denoted cal 15 or cal 15). There is also a 20-degree calorie equal to 4.182 J. There are a whole bunch of other calories (international, thermochemical, 4-degree). Their values in joules do not differ much from each other, but still differ, which creates difficulties in unifying calculations. The only way out is to completely abandon the use of calories and the widespread transition to the joule. By the way, on food labels, the energy value is already indicated in parallel in calories and in joules. It remains the law to abolish calories. But this is hindered by the usual inertia of thinking: nutritionists and food manufacturers, and consumers do not want to change their habits. Note that a calorie is a small quantity, and therefore a thousand times larger quantity is used, the kilocalorie, which nutritionists sometimes refer to as "Calorie" with a capital letter, or "big calorie", or "food calorie", which adds further confusion.

In practice, the energy value of food products was initially measured by burning them in a calorimeter (100 g of product) and measuring the released energy (about the same energy is released in the human body during digestion). Today, ready-made tables are used, which indicate the energy value of individual chemical components of the product. It is much easier to determine the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats in the product, and then perform the usual multiplication and addition, according to the following coefficients:

proteins - 3.8 kcal / g (16 kJ / g),

carbohydrates - 4.1 kcal / g (17 kJ / g),

fats - 9.3 kcal / g (39 kJ / g),

alcohol (ethanol) - 7.1 kcal / g (26 kJ / g),

organic acids - 2.2 kcal / g (9 kJ / g),

polyhydric alcohols - 2.4 kcal / g (10 kJ / g).