Calories are a measure of the energy in food and play an important role in weight management, but relying on simple calorie counts can lead to poor eating habits. It”s important to maintain a balanced diet that takes into account a variety of nutrients.
When we buy a burger, eat a meal at school or work, or even order a pizza, we see calories on the menu, not just the name of the food. Even if we don’t normally care about it, we focus on this number when we’re thinking about our health or trying to lose weight. In the modern world, calorie counts have become an important part of people’s diets, especially since information like “eat fewer calories” is quickly shared through media and social media.
But what are calories and how do we count them? A calorie (cal) is defined as the amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of pure water by 1 degree Celsius at 1 atmosphere, which is the normal state in which we live. We usually say that carbohydrates and proteins have 4 calories per gram and fats have 9 calories per gram. This is measured by how much heat it takes to raise the temperature of water by the amount of heat produced by burning one gram of a substance in an enclosed space with no heat coming in or out. So is the calorie count absolute for our nutrition and health? If you eat a high calorie diet, will you gain weight, and if you eat fewer calories, will you lose weight?
There is some correlation between calorie intake and weight. However, the calorie value is simply a mechanical measurement that relies on the above methods. Depending on how the food enters the body and is metabolized, it may cause more weight gain or less weight gain than the physically counted calories. This is because high-calorie eaters tend to consume energy from food at a higher rate than they expend energy from life in general.
A classic example of this is alcohol. Alcohol is harmful to the body, so when it enters the body, the cells prioritize breaking it down to the exclusion of other tasks. The enzymes in the body break down alcohol into acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and then acetyl-CoA, which produces a substance called NADH. The production of acetyl-CoA stimulates the synthesis of fat, which is why it”s necessary to synthesize fat. More NADH also allows the cells to stop the process of cellular respiration, which breaks down the energy stored in the body. In order to lose weight, fat synthesis must be prevented and cellular respiration, which breaks down stored fat, must be promoted. However, the substances that come from the decomposition of alcohol naturally support the synthesis of fat and prevent the breakdown of fat. Therefore, you can see that physically burning alcohol can have a greater impact on weight gain than the 7 calories you get from burning it.
On the other hand, there are some foods that have a lesser impact on weight gain than the calories counted, and can even help you lose weight. The best-known example of this is vegetables. A substance that makes up a large part of vegetables is fiber. Fiber, also known as cellulose, is a component of the cell walls of plants. The body doesn“t have the enzymes to break down fiber, so it excretes it without absorbing it. This means that the body doesn”t use the amount that isn“t digested, and consequently, it doesn”t affect your weight. We mentioned above that calorie counting uses the principle of burning matter to raise the temperature of water. The fiber portion is counted as a calorie because it raises the temperature of the water. However, since it doesn”t decompose, it will have less impact on weight gain than the calories listed in the food. Nowadays, it”s widely known that fiber is indigestible, so the calorie count excludes the amount of fiber. However, even in this case, it still has a smaller impact than the mechanically calculated calories, and the fiber in vegetables plays a big role in this process. First of all, as the threadlike fiber passes through the small and large intestines, it removes other components of the food, as well as harmful foreign substances from the body, thus reducing the components that make up the original weight. In addition, fiber doesn’t break down, so it makes you feel full for a long time after you eat it, so you eat relatively less food. Therefore, you can see that vegetables have less impact on your weight than the physically calculated calorie value and can even help you lose weight.
These examples show that the number of calories listed on a food does not have an absolute impact on weight gain. Nevertheless, as we saw in the introduction, many people have become sensitive to and dependent on calorie counts, but when did we become so dependent on them?
The history of calorie counting begins after World War II, when the causes of obesity were revisited. Before World War II, the theory that obesity was caused by an abnormality in the regulatory system that kept the body in a certain state was the absolute majority. However, after the war, the hypothesis of Professor Louis Harry Newburgh of the University of Michigan in the United States, that an excess of energy was absolutely responsible for obesity, was widely accepted. Therefore, we now believe that obesity is caused by consuming more food than the amount of energy required. This has led us to make energy-centered judgments and adjustments to our food intake in order to eat healthier.
This thinking has led to calorie-centered diets, such as school lunches, which are organized based on nutrient needs for the day. In particular, calorie counting has been emphasized in public health campaigns, and the concept of a “balanced diet” has become more widespread. As a result, the same calorie standards were often applied to everyone, despite the fact that different body types and lifestyles require different approaches.
As a result, the public perceived that it was important to meet the recommended daily calorie intake. This has led to a lifestyle of simply watching the calories in every meal, whether it’s for health or beauty.
Calories are not an absolute standard for maintaining a healthy body. Depending on the individual, their ability to digest certain nutrients, and the state of their body on a daily basis, they may or may not be better able to absorb them. Also, the same amount of calories can have different effects on your body depending on how the ingredients in each food affect each other. Why not make it a habit to evaluate your future meals by creating your own criteria for getting a good balance of nutrients instead of calories?
To do this, it’s important to build a personalized eating plan and consider the overall nutritional balance rather than just the calorie count. For example, you need to make sure you’re getting enough protein, fat, and carbohydrates, as well as micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. This will help you lead a healthier life.
