Posts Tagged ‘energy value’

Things about diet

The energy value of food is expressed in terms of the amount of heat they produce combustion. In scientific work in general, heat is measured in calories, one calorie is the amount of heat required to raise one gram of water one degree Celsius. However, considering the energy value of foods, it is more common to operate a 1000 times greater, the “large calorie” or “kilogram calorie” (commonly known as Cal or kcal / kg, although in daily use Everyone uses the word “calorie” to mean the same thing).

wheat-bread_rs

The word means kCal a “large calorie”. When one gram of carbohydrate is burned it produces 4.1 kcal. This is the same for a gram of protein. While a gram of fat (lipid) produces 9.3 kcal.

Thus, a diet providing 50 grams protein, 50 grams of fat and 500 grams of carbohydrates in the body produce approximately 2650 kcal.

Water, minerals and indigestible materials have no value for body heat and the estimation of the caloric value of food must take this into consideration.

The body’s energy needs vary depending on the amount of work involved and depending on the heat lost by the body. A man lying at rest in a warm room needs about 1700 calories a day and a woman at absolute rest of 1450 calories per day. This is known as the basal metabolic rate. Calculate how many calories you need daily and your BMR with our calculator.

On the other hand, a man engaged in active work, especially in a cold climate will need about 4500 calories a day (or more), and a woman of 3000 calories per day.

In general, women need fewer calories than men because their weight and size means are lower than those of men. They are also often less arduous than men and have a smaller heat loss through the body surface.