What are calories?

What's the main difference between caloriesand kilocalories?

The "calorie" we refer to in the food industry is actually kilocalorie. One (1) Kilocalorie is the equivalent of an (1) Calorie (uppercase C). A kilocalorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water to one degree Celsius.

How do you determine the caloric value of food determined?

One could believe it's through the observation of how they lead to weight gain, but that's not the case. It's not so.

Avery excellent question to be asked since a lot of people don't have a clear understanding of calories. First of all, a calorie is not an actual thing and therefore cannot be full or empty. You cannot put calories in a bottle. One calorie is a unit of energy measurement. Very specifically, it is what amount that is needed to increase the temperature of one milliliter, (which is also one grams) of water by one degree Celsius. If you truly want to be a stickler for particulars, it's the energy required to bring the temperature from 14.5 in 15.5 degree C. The term calorie was actually coined by the great French scientist Antoine Lavoisier who used it to refer to our body's thermal energy.

A food's calorieis is actually in fact a "kilocalorie." In other words , it's the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one liter of water by one degree. The original method of measuring the calorie content of a food item was measured using the form of a calorimeter. A certain amount of food that had the water in it evaporated, was put in a container which was covered with a specific number of gallons of water. The container was sealed, oxygen was piped into it and the food was then ignited. By the increase in temperature of the water, the calorie content of the food item was calculated.

There were problems, however with this type approach to calorie determination. Food can contain ingredients like fiber that be burned in a calorimeter, but are not absorbed into the bloodstream, and thus do not contribute calories. Today, food producers utilize the "Atwater indirect system" to calculate calories by adding the calories generated by the energy-rich nutrients: protein, carbohydrate fat, alcohol and. Because carbohydrates contain a portion of fiber that is not digested and utilized to the extent required by our bodies, the fiber content is typically taken out of the overall carbohydrate when being able to calculate the calories.

The Atwater system is based on the average values of 4 kcal/g for protein, 4 Kcal/g for carbohydrate, 9 Kcal/g of fat and 7 kcal/g for alcohol. They were calculated by burning these substances using the calorimeter. (There will be some rounding, as simple sugars offer less and polysaccharides provide slightly higher then 4 Kcal/g). Thus , the label on 45 grams KitKat that contains 3 g of protein, 29 grams in carbohydrate (22 grams are simple sugars) and 12 grams of fat, would read 230 Calories.

A few interesting facts emerge from such analyses. The caloriecontent from doughnuts, around 350 Kcal is found to be close to that of a dynamite stick. It is evident that the energy from the explosive is released instantly after it is it is ignited, whereas the doughnut releases its energy content in the body at a slower rate. Therefore, you won't explode from a doughnut. Actually, you shouldn't.