Subscribe To This Site

Calories In Food

4/22/2010

There are a great deal of mixed messages out there when it comes to calories in food. Some say you should not count your calories while others swear that counting calories is of paramount importance.

So, what should you do in order to remain in a healthy weight range? The first step you need to take is learning what exactly calories are. This will help you understand the steps to take to avoid becoming overweight. For teens and tweens, this info is vital. If you get into bad habits while young, they will stay with you through life. That means it will be very tough to break such habits as you get older.

In a nutshell, calories are energy. Our body ingests food to absorb the calories in order to function. Have you ever heard the term basic metabolic rate?' This refers to the bare minimum amount of calories needed to maintain the functioning of your body's organs. It will draw such calories from your food intake, stored fat, and, under certain circumstances, your muscles. (You really want to avoid the burning of muscle since lean muscle mass is good to have) Of course, how active you are will play a major role.

BMR only refers to the calories burned when the body is totally at rest. When you are active, you body will burn more calories since it needs more fuel. But, what happens to those calories in food when you are not active enough to burn them? As you are already probably aware, those extra calories will turn to stored fat. That is why overeating prevents you from maintaining a healthy weight range.

One pound of stored body fat is 3600 calories. So, if you eat 1000 calories more per day than you burn, you will average nearly two pounds of fat on your frame per week. Yes, eating 7,000 extra and unnecessary calories per week can lead to 20lbs of extra fat which will knock you out of the park as far as maintaining a healthy weight range is concerned.

The key to keep yourself in the proper weight category for your frame is to watch the types of foods you eat. It also would not hurt to keep your eye on the volume of food you eat. Again, the key is to keep your calorie count down.

If 2300 calories a day will keep you at your optimum weight based on your activity level, you would want to stay in that range. (Most of the time, anyway...) Some might shake their heads wondering if they need a calorie counter with them at all times. Honestly, as long as you stay away from the two main calorie in food villains' you can avoid a lot of problems. These villains are refined sugars and saturated fats.

The reason you would want to avoid such items is that they are loaded in empty calories. Fats in meat have the highest concentration of calories. This is why lean meats are so much better for you. Additionally, refined sugars are high in empty calories due to the processed nature of the white sugar. Those looking to maintain a healthy weight range are advised to avoid such poor food choices.

Knowledge about calories in food is not difficult to grasp. You just need to understand a few basics and you will be well on your way towards much healthier living. Just be sure to start when you are younger in order to get a better handle on the process.

For more on calories in food check out Fit-Teen's interview with nutrition expert Sarah Mirkin.