The Truth About Calories

Losing the pesky belly fast can be extremely frustrating. I will throw you some truth about calories and by understanding how calories work and how to make them work for you in the best possible way.

You really can't go anywhere these days without hearing the mention of calories ! But honestly do you really know what calories are? After all, the calories of certain foods seem to be the deciding factor if you should eat it or not. But if we use the reasoning 500 calories of spinach is equal to 500 calories of double fudge ice cream.

Not quite the case. Honestly calories can be a bit confusing. Learn about the distinctions and make losing any fat a breeze.

Myth: Calories are the Primary Fuel Source for our Bodies.

Actually, No not really. Let me explain.

A calories is only a simple unit of measurement for heat; it was uses in the early 19th century, to explain the theory of heat conservation. The term calories actually did not enter nutritional language until the 1890's. The specific definition of a calorie is the requried unit of heat needed to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. Scientists applied this concept by literally setting food on fire and determined how well the inflamed food warmed water. The calories jump to nutrition is now labeled as how much heat is required to raise one kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

But there is a problem with that mainly because your body is not a steam engine. We do not run on heat, we run on chemical energy, mostly fueled by the oxidation, of the main nutrients (fat,carbohydrates, and proteins). So instead of just looking at the calorie content in foods, look for the carbohydrates,fats, and proteins. Why because 500 calories of protein such as meat will react in your body much different than 500 grams of carbohydrates. We will get into why next.

Myth: All Calories Are Created Equal

Fact: No not at all, not even close

Our primary fuel sources come from protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Each nutrient is handled extremely different by the body.

For example: for every 100 calories of carbohydrate you consume, your body expends 5-10 calories in digestion of that food. With fats, the calorie expenditure for digestion is just a little less. But the food that requires the most energy to digest is proteins. For every 100 calories you consume, your body needs at least 20-30 of those calories just for digestion, some factor include how well you chew your food and what is eaten with it may require more or less calories for digestion. So it make sense if you want to lose weigh protein is really important with each meal for more reasons than one.

In part two of the truth about calories, I will explain in a calorie goes in will it be digested, and i will debunk the myth the exercise is the best way to burn calories. Stay tuned for the conclusion of The Truth about Calories.

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