Calories give your body energy, but does that mean that the nutritional calorie is less important than the caloric one? Find out which calorie is the better option for you in this article.
Contents
What is the nutritional calorie?
The nutritional calorie is a unit of energy found in food. It is the amount of calories needed to create one gram of protein, one gram of carbohydrate, or one milliliter of water. The caloric content of a food can be found on the label.
How do calories in food compare?
There are several ways to compare calories in food. One way is to look at the total number of calories in a food. Another way is to look at the number of calories per serving size. A third way is to look at how many calories are in a specific nutrient. For example, protein has more than 600 calories per gram, while carbohydrates have only about 100 calories per gram.
Calorie Fat and Carbohydrate Comparison
The nutritional calorie is a unit of energy that is equivalent to 4 calories. Carbohydrates and fat are both sources of calories. The caloric content of a food can be found on the Nutrition Facts label. The nutritional calorie is the most important nutrient when it comes to weight control. It provides the energy your body needs to function. The nutritional calorie is made up of 3 types of nutrients: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which provide energy for your muscles and brain, and dietary fiber which helps keep you feeling full. Protein provides amino acids which are needed for muscle growth and repair, and fat provides essential fatty acids which are important for overall health. The caloric content of foods can be deceiving. For example, one cup of cooked oatmeal has only 106 calories but contains 6 grams of carbs and 2 grams of protein. A candy bar has 300 calories but only 5 grams of carbs and 21 grams of sugar. It’s important to read the Nutrition Facts label to get an accurate estimate of how many calories are in the food you’re eating. It’s also important to understand how different nutrients contribute to your weight control goals.
The Calories In/Calories Out Ratio
A calorie is the basic unit of energy in food. Foods and beverages contain calories, which the body can use to produce energy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNDIC) defines a calorie as “the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.” There are approximately 4 kcal in a gram. The nutritional calorie is not always equal to the calorie counting calorie. The nutritional calorie is the total number of calories provided by all the nutrients in a food item minus the amount of added sugars, salt, and oils. The USDA’s ChooseMyPlate website provides an example for calculating the nutritional content: one cup of cooked white rice has 190 kcal, 5 grams of dietary fiber, 6 grams of protein, and 10 mg cholesterol, for a total nutritonal value of 2700 calories. If we subtract 10% for sodium (which would be 125 mg), 5% for sugar (4 grams), and 2% for oil (1 gram), then the nutritonal value falls to 2497 calories. This means that one cup or serving size of cooked white rice has 195 fewer calories than if it were made with all.
