Why are calories – particularly calories in food important?
Many people are obsessed with dieting and some with counting calories in food. Whilst each new diet has a different catchy name and menu they will all agree the most important factor in relation to health, weight loss and nutrition is the amount of calorie intake that each diet has. There are several who attribute many problems with health to calories in food. Because of the significance that is given to the ideas behind calories, it is important to know what calories mean and why they are important to your health. Calories are defined as units of energy. One calorie will equal one unit of energy. Anything that has energy in it, including water, gasoline, etc. will have calories, or units of energy that is associated with it. In relation to this, the energy can be associated as one unit of heat. In relation to food, calories are associated with energy that is contained in protein, carbohydrates and fat. Within each of these measures, calories will have a given amount of energy.
