How are calories in food calculated?

a Calorific value of food is literally the amount of heat (or energy) generated by it. Food content is measured in kilocalories. So for every 1,000 calories, we have 1 calorie.

But do you know how to find this number? Find out below:

1. Put it in the pan

The classic – and currently unused – method for determining food calories is to use a device called calorimeter. It all starts with introducing the item in question into an airtight chamber, sealing the chamber and flooding the surroundings with water.

2. Catch the fire

This chamber receives oxygen in a larger amount from the atmosphere, and the ignition wire, connected to an electrical network, promotes a short circuit for burning food. a the heat The resulting combustion heats up the surrounding water. This heating is measured with a thermometer.

3. Heat comes out

A calorie is the energy needed to heat one temperature in 1 gram of water. For example, if the water temperature rises 20 degrees, then the item has 20 calories. The scale is rather limited, since it takes into account all the heat generated, and not everything is consumed by the body.

How is it in practice

Calories are not everything

This is a well-known wisdom in the nutrition world – and it makes perfect sense.

The number is important, especially in a weight loss program, which will be subject to the rule of spending more and consuming less energy. But every calorie is a calorie.

+ Read also: What can counting calories hide?

Let’s take a look at wholemeal bread and white bread: they both contain the same amount, but the former brings in more fiber, which slows digestion and still promotes health benefits.

This is why soft drinks, snack foods, etc. Super Handling They are considered “empty calories” sources. They bring in calories – and nothing else!

Calorie needs of a person

Just one warning: Don’t cut calories on your own! This can lead to health problems. Seek professional guidance.

How does the body spend calories?

Calorie List

SOURCES: Andrea Esquivel, a dietician at the Diagnostic Center in Digestive Diseases (Cedig), in São Paulo; Sabrina Thiel, Dietitian with a Postgraduate Degree in Functional Nutrition from VP Consultoria; Sueli Regina Baggio and Sílvia Moura, Dietitians at the Institute of Food Technology (Italy), in Campinas (SP)