Calories in food - info from SLP Slimming

Calories in Food

Do All Foods Have Calories?

Yes. Except for water, all foods contain calories. The four main food types are: carbohydrates, fat, protein and alcohol. Each of these food types contains a different number of calories per gram.

Each gram of carbohydrates contains 3.75 calories.
Each gram of fat contains 9 calories.
Each gram of protein contains 4 calories.
Each gram of alcohol contains 7 calories.

To determine the number of calories in a particular food, you need to know roughly how many grams of carbohydrates, fat, protein and alcohol the food contains.

Example of Calories in Food.

For example, if a food contains 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat and 3 grams of water, then it contains 10 x 4 (40) protein-calories, 4 x 9 (36) fat-calories and zero water-calories (water is calorie-free), making a total of 76 calories.

Are All Calories in Food the Same?

Yes and No. Yes, if we take in more calories than we burn, these surplus calories will be stored as fat, no matter whether they are fat-calories, protein-calories or carbohydrate-calories.

That said, some types of food-calories are more easily converted to body fat than others.For example, calories from fat are easily converted to body fat - only 3 percent of such calories are actually used up in the conversion process. By comparison, carbohydrate-calories are less easily converted to body fat - up to 25 percent of these calories are used up in the conversion process.

Calories per Gram of Alcohol

There are 7 calories in a gram of alcohol, which makes it a fairly high calorie food item. By comparison, protein and carbohydrates contain less than 4 calories per gram. So, if you're following a calorie-controlled diet, it may be best to avoid alcohol-calories entirely - at least until your weight is reduced. Alcohol can increase your appetite and therefore the amount of calories you eat. A Canadian study shows that an alcoholic drink taken before a meal increased calorie intake to a greater extent than a carbohydrate-based drink.

Alcohol Calories and Health.

Diet studies show that small-to-moderate alcohol intake (1-4 units* of alcohol/day) is extremely good for health. But a higher alcohol-intake not only means a higher calorie-intake, it also triggers higher risks of coronary heart disease, liver disease and some cancers.

Alcohol Units and Calories.

Beer (glass) - about 90 calories = 1 unit of alcohol.
Wine (small glass) - about 90 calories = 1 unit of alcohol.
Spirits (25ml measure) - about 50 calories = 1 unit of alcohol

Calories per Gram of Fat.

There are 9 calories in each gram of fat. Fat contains more than twice the number of calories in carbohydrates or protein. As all fat contains 9 calories per gram, the type of fat you eat is irrelevant from a weight loss viewpoint. However, from a health viewpoint it is important to reduce your intake of animal fats and replace them with vegetable fats/oils.

Essential Fatty Acids - Counteract Effect of Calories?

Food agencies recommend that all fats should be eaten sparingly. One slight exception to this rule is omega-3 fats, found especially in oily fish (eg. salmon, mackerel, herring) and flaxseed oil. These omega-3 essential fatty acids are high in calories (the same as all fats) but may help to assist weight control and maintain good health. Ideally, substitute these fish or vegetarian fats for those in meat and full-fat cheese.

Calories per Gram of Carbohydrates.

There are just under 4 calories in each gram of carbohydrates (3.75 calories), the same calories as per gram of protein. This compares with over 9 calories per gram of fat.When Choosing Carbohydrates, Follow the Glycemic Index and choose carbohydrates with a low glycemic index rating. These low-GI carbohydrates take longer to digest and help maintain stable blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates which are high on the glycemic index (eg. refined sugary foods) contain more 'empty' calories - i.e. non-nutritious calories and can upset blood glucose levels, which may disrupt our appetite mechanism and trigger food cravings.

Calories per Gram of Protein.

There are just under 4 calories in each gram of protein. Although protein is essential for good health, it is better to lower your intake of animal protein (e.g. from cheese and meat) and increase your intake of vegetable protein (e.g. from beans, soybeans, lentils, nuts).From a health viewpoint, over-consumption of protein is not recommended and may cause health problems. If you are trying to lose weight, it is best to eat a diet which is low in animal fat, high in healthy (low glycemic index) carbohydrates with modest amounts of protein and about 1200 calories.