What is the importance of counting calories in food?
We hear a lot about necessity Calculation of calories in food What does the body need while dieting to get rid of excess weight, but the benefits of calculating calories are not limited to weight loss, but are of great importance for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and in this article, we will learn about the importance of calculating calories in food, and how it can affect the diet.
How does the body consume calories?
Used calories To describe the amount of energy the body needs to perform physical tasks including:
- breathing.
- thinking.
- Keep a pulse.
And can even tell The importance of counting calories in foodIt is necessary to understand how the body uses them. Calories come from an essential nutrient:
- carbohydrates.
- protein.
- Fats.
During digestion, the body breaks down the foods eaten into smaller units, and these subunits can be used to build tissues or provide the body with the energy it needs to meet its immediate needs.
The amount of energy the body receives from the subunits depends on its source, and is as follows:
- carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram.
- Protein: 4 calories per gram.
- Fat: 9 calories per gram.
The body uses calories from the metabolism of these nutrients to run three main processes:
- Basic metabolism: b metabolismThe body uses most of the calories to perform basic functions, such as supplying energy to the brain, kidneys, lungs, heart and nervous system.
- Digestion: The body uses some of the calories consumed to help digest and metabolize the foods eaten.
- Physical activity: The rest of the calories fuel the physical activity for the ability to perform daily tasks and physical activity.
The total number of calories needed for these functions can vary greatly from day to day and from person to person.
However, weight loss is not limited to Calculation of calories in foodIn fact, there are other things that must be taken into account when following a diet for weight loss, such as physical activity, and choosing a healthy type of food that does not adversely affect the body and interfere. burning fat. (One. Two. Three)
The importance of counting calories in food
Weight loss results from eating fewer calories than the amount consumed, when eating, an amount of calories is used in order to meet the body’s immediate energy needs, and any excess energy is stored for future use, in the form of:
- Carbohydrates in muscles and liver.
- Fat in different parts of the body.
In the case of eating more calories than the body needs, it will accumulate in the form of fat, and conversely, if the calories you get from the diet are not enough to meet your basic needs, the body will have to rely on its energy reserves to compensate for this deficiency, this helps to lose weight, because these reserves contain the accumulated fat.
This can help Calorie calculator Losing weight for the following reasons:
- The ease of being able to choose the food that helps with good weight loss, after determining the calories in it.
- Option to diversify the foods eaten according to the appropriate calories, thus not getting bored of eating.
unlimited The importance of calculating calories for the body to lose excess weight Not only that, but it is necessary to maintain weight not to increase, by obtaining a sufficient number of calories for the body calories consumed Basically, these are foods rich in simple sugars, this may cause many health damages in the long term, such as:
- diabetes.
- heart disease;
- hypertension.
- Fatty liver disease.
- Crabs.
If you eat too few calories, the risk of developing the following conditions will increase:
- heart disease;
- bone weakness
- Mass loss in the kidneys, heart and skeletal muscles.
- Permanent organ damage. (One. Two. Three)
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How to calculate calories in food
so can Calculation of calories in foodTwo important things must be distinguished, namely:
- amount of food.
- food quality
For example, you can eat the same amount of fried potato sticks and grilled potato sticks, but the calories in each are very different.
The quality of the food also has a role in achieving the goal of weight loss, for example eating foods rich in fiber helps with the feeling of satiety, that is, reducing the desire to eat more foods. (1) (2) (3)
More: calorie diet
BMI calculator
BMI lower than 18.5 | under normal weight |
BMI greater than or equal to 18.5 and less than 25 | within normal weight |
BMI greater than or equal to 25 and less than 30 | higher than normal weight |
BMI greater than or equal to 30 and less than 35 | first degree obesity (moderate) |
BMI greater than or equal to 35 and less than 40 | Second degree obesity (moderate) |
BMI greater than or equal to 40 | Third degree obesity (excessive) |
The best way to calculate calories in food
The number of calories the body needs depends on:
- the weight.
- sex.
- the age.
- height.
- activity levels.
There are several methods that help calculate calories in food, namely:
- Look up the calories of different foods online: can Counting calories for food through websites that specialize in nutrition, but you must make sure that they are reliable and provide correct data.
- Read calories on food packages: Packaged foods provide their nutritional value data, and you can list the calories in them, but it is difficult for foods without data such as fresh meat, fish and poultry.
- Using the calorie calculator in a food app: There are many apps for calculating calories in food, which make the task easier, but you must be careful to choose a good app that provides correct information.
Over time, it becomes easier to count calories in staple foods that are eaten often without looking them up. (One. Two. Three)
Read also: foods with high calories
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