Diet and Calories

Overview & Description

Calories are a way of measuring the potential energy in foods. They also measure the amount of energy, in units, that the body uses. Food supplies calories to the body. The body burns calories to stay alive and to move. The nutrients that provide calories in food are limited to fat, protein, and carbohydrates. These 3 nutrients can be found in foods in all of the major food groups. Foods may have one or more of these nutrients. Even though it is not a nutrient, alcohol has calories too.

Information

Each nutrient provides different amounts of calories per gram to the body.

• One gram of carbohydrate equals 4 calories.
  
• One gram of protein equals 4 calories.
  
• One gram of fat equals 9 calories.
  
• One gram of alcohol equals 7 calories.
  

These figures are used to calculate calories per serving. If a food is made of only fat, and contains 9 grams of fat, the calories in the product equals: 9 grams fat x 9 cal/gram of fat = 81 calories. On the other hand, if the food contained 2 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein, the total calories would equal 34 (2 grams fat x 9 cal/gram = 18 calories plus 4 grams protein x 4 cal/gram = 16 calories, for a total of 34 calories).

Food offers more than just calories. It offers vitamins, minerals, and water, which are also key nutrients in maintaining health. These nutrients do not supply calories, however. When foods supply mainly calories and few nutrients, they are known as "calorie-dense." When foods supply calories along with vitamins and minerals, they are known as "nutrient-dense." The key is to choose your calories wisely. Choose foods that will provide a good balance of both calories and nutrients.

For a healthy diet, people need all 3 nutrients in their daily diet. Federal dietary guidelines are issued by the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. These guidelines recommend a diet that gets most of its calories from whole grain products, fresh vegetables and fruits, lowfat milk products, lean meats, fish, poultry, and dried beans.

The Food Guide Pyramid acts as a tool to help individuals follow these dietary guidelines. In addition, the American Heart Association recommends a diet where:

• carbohydrates supply 55 to 60% of the calories
  
• fat calories make up less than 30% of the total (with less than 8% to 10 % from saturated fat)
  

The body's need for energy and fuel never stops. Each person needs a certain amount of calories to fuel the body. The specific amount of calories depends on many factors. These include: