In the simplest terms possible, it’s a unit of energy that your body utilizes. \u00a0If you want a more technical response:<\/p>\n
“The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius<\/span>” or: “A\u00a0unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body” \u00a0(Source<\/a>; More Reading<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n Apparently we’ve found the answer to energy independence.<\/p><\/div>\n Okay, so a Calorie is a unit of energy.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you think of your body like a car, Calories are like gasoline; \u00a0Calories are stored as energy in food, and here’s how much is stored in each macronutrient: \u00a0(Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n It’s worth noting that while Alcohol is not a macronutrient, it does yield energy– \u00a01 gram of Alcohol yields 7 Calories.<\/p>\n So here’s how to think about it– \u00a0When your body digests and absorbs food, it frees up the energy stored in the food. \u00a0It either uses it for immediate energy, or stores it (as fat) for later use.<\/p>\n So in terms of energy, a Calorie is always a Calorie, since it is just a measure of the amount of energy in a food. \u00a0This is one of the fundamental principles behind flexible dieting– \u00a0Remember from last weeks post<\/a>: \u00a0If you want to lose weight, you need to consume less energy than you burn.<\/p>\n Truth.<\/p><\/div>\n Are there times when all Calories are not created equal?<\/strong><\/p>\n The short answer: \u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n What is the long answer?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have to reiterate that when you’re looking at energy balance, all Calories are equal. \u00a0We don’t want to look at food purely as energy, though– \u00a0There’s the entire “healthful diet” thing that everyone should consider. \u00a0When it comes down to what you eat, it should provide plenty of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, etc. \u00a0And this is where all Calories are not equal.<\/p>\n If we compare 100 Calories of banana vs. 100 Calories of soda, you’ll notice that they both have 100 Calories. \u00a0That’s obvious, right? \u00a0I mean, I said it’s 100 Calories of each.<\/p>\n Here’s where they differ, though; let’s look at what the Banana yields\u00a0(Nutrition Data<\/a>):<\/p>\n Here’s a look at what the soda yields (Nutrition Data<\/a>):<\/p>\n As you can see, there’s a great benefit to picking 100 Calories of banana over soda! \u00a0On top of that, sugary drinks take little time to digest, meaning they offer a lot of energy in a short time, and do nothing to satiate you.<\/p>\n![\"Apparently](\"http:\/\/devinephysiques.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/calorie-300x247.gif\")
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