Do you know what are the calories? They’re all the same? The explanation to these questions will change the way you eat and you will surely start to put the calorie calculator aside. There is much more behind a simple math.
Calories are basically a way of counting the amount of energy each food provides us to cover the energy expenditure of the human body. Marta Gámez, technical director of the Nutrition Center, tells us about the types of calories, depending on its origin and what we must take into account to keep weight under control, because each type produces a reaction and an effect on our body.
All the calories are the same?
Calories are all the same, what changes is their origin. That is, from what food group they come from: carbohydrates (4 kcal. Per gram), poteins (4 kcal. Per gram) and fats (9 kcal. Per gram). Minerals and vitamins provide practically no calories.
Therefore, although all calories are the same, for our body it is not the same to eat 100 calories from fat than 100 from protein.
On the other hand, there are foods that have calories that do not provide any nutrients, the so-called empty calories, such as alcohol (that is why it is the first thing that is eliminated in any weight loss program).
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The carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a nutrient that provides energy in the short term and although it can be stored, the capacity of our body is limited. They provide 4 kcal. per gram.
On the other hand, it is not the same to take calories from simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, than from complex ones, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables …
In the case of simple carbohydrates, insulin rises in the blood and they convert to glucose very quickly, so that an energy peak is produced that ends quickly and the rest will accumulate in the body.
However, with complex carbohydrates, insulin rises more slowly, which will provide us with energy more slowly. This makes it take longer to get hungry again and the risk of accumulating fat due to insulin will be less.
Proteins
Like carbohydrates, proteins provide 4 kcal. per gram, but its effect is completely different from the previous group. Its satiating power is greater, so it keeps us hungry for longer.
Another difference is that it does not produce an insulin spike, which makes the body work harder and burn more energy to digest and metabolize protein. It is also a nutrient that cannot be stored in case of surplus. What the body does not use is discarded.
Therefore, although the amount of calories per gram provided by both carbohydrates and proteins are the same, they affect our body differently.
Marie Claire Spain
at Drafting Marie Claire
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