Why be concerned with calorie or energy intake? Excessive calorie intake, that is consuming more than what your body needs in a day over a prolonged period of time, can lead to unnecessary weight gain leading to overweight and obesity.
Kilocalorie (kcal) is actually a unit of measurement of energy, as kilogram or pound is to weight. Many times though, calorie is used interchangeably with energy. So we say, energy intake or calorie intake. Energy is derived from foods containing carbohydrates, protein and/or fat. Most of the food we eat provides energy. Pure tea, coffee, calamansi or lemon juice are but few of those that don’t provide energy. It is the sugar, milk or cream added to them that gives energy.
We also spend energy. Even when doing nothing, lying down or sleeping, our body is spending energy – that is, from the involuntary activities it performs like breathing, beating of the heart. Same when it has to digest food. In physical or voluntary activities we do like walking, eating, running, we also spend energy. The heavier the task or the longer we do it, the more energy per kilogram of body weight is spent. Our weight is the result of the balance between the energy we derive from the food and drinks we consume and the energy our body spends voluntarily or involuntarily.
If you are one who wants to maintain, reduce or increase your weight, manage your calorie intake. There is a recommended amount of energy each one of us needs to consume each day. For a start, we can enumerate some foods with their calorie content on a per serving basis, keeping in mind that not all the foods we eat are measured similarly. Thus, we compare the energy in foods on a per serving basis.
1 teaspoon sugar/honey; 1 pc candy: 20 kcal 1 serving medium rice (1/2 cup or
1 teaspoon fat/oil: 45 kcal corn or 1 ¼ cup cubed
1 matchbox size high fat meat: 122 kcal potatoes): 100 kcal
1 glass (240 ml) whole milk: 170 kcal 1 ½ pcs white loaf: 108 kcal
1 matchbox or serving medium fat 1 8-ounce regular softdrink: 100 kcal
Meat/chicken/fish or 1 pc egg: 86 kcal from the 5 tsp sugar added
Any food that is fatty or cooked in so much fat or oil or contains visible fat as what we see in porkchop or bacon, sweets and sweetened foods can be limited for those prescribed a reducing diet. Breaded food will absorb more fat.
Fruits and vegetables are lowest in calories as one serving of fruit provides only 40 kcal and ½ cup of cooked vegetables provides 16 kcal only. An added benefit is that they contain fiber, and much of the vitamins and minerals we need everyday.
