By the numbers: In science, a calorie's a calorie

From: Capital (Annapolis) | Date: May 7, 2006| Author: | Copyright information

You may be surprised to know that what we commonly call a calorie is not really a calorie. But let's start at the beginning.

A calorie is not a unit of weight or work. It is a unit of heat energy. By definition it is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius from a given temperature and at a given air pressure. That doesn't help you and I decide if we should have that slice of chocolate cake, though.

In fact, what we call a calorie isn't even what I just defined. The term that is associated with weight loss is actually a kilocalorie or kcal. It is ...

Read all of this article with a FREE trial to HighBeam Research

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

(Including press releases, facts, information, and biographies)

Fat calories may really be more fattening
; ...there is a way to eat 2,000 or 3,000 calories a day and still lose weight. This...consuming about the same number of calories. Along with some other theories, they have suggested that maybe some calories are worse than others. According to...
Health: A light Christmas; Feeling fat? Join the club. Here's a Christmas calorie-burning programme - and you don't have to put on your trainers. Everything from unwrapping presents to computer games helps to burn the 3,000 calories you ate yesterday. By PAUL JOHNSON and ANN BIRD.(M Health)
; ...reporting by RACHEL TOMPKINS Sleeping 55 calories There's nothing better than a snooze...big meal. But you won't burn many calories - it's the lowest energy use of all. Watching TV 64 calories If you're watching your favourite...
a calorie is not a calorie
; ...steamed broccoli meal that contains more calories. We now have a plausible scientific explanation for why some calories are different from others, thanks...thinking, you have to either eat fewer calories or burn off more of them. But the...
Prevent calories from sneaking in
; Prevent calories from sneaking in By SALLY SQUIRES Washington...undermine your healthy habits. They are hidden calories, and they turn seemingly healthy foods...whole-wheat can swell to 2 ounces and 150 calories, compared with 1 ounce and about 75 calories...
Low-calorie menus
; MENU 1A Weight Watchers under 800 calories 4 ounces red wine, 85 calories, 0 grams fat 2/3 cup golden squash soup, 96 calories, 2.7 g fat 2 cups mixed baby greens salad with...
Calorie Creep
; ...your healthy habits. They are hidden calories, and they turn seemingly healthy foods...wheat can swell to two ounces and 150 calories, compared to one ounce and about 75 calories for standard whole wheat. Slice that...
Calorie conscious
; How many calories must you burn to lose one pound? 3,500. A 20-minute walk burns 100 calories-equivalent to a tablespoon of butter. But...protein, fat or carbohydrates. But fat calories are actually more fattening. Why? Your...
WHAT'S NOT ON THE MENU: A CALORIE COUNT.(CNY)(Column)
; ...hearing about the astronomical number of calories heaped on our plates at restaurants. Most people do not know how many calories they are about to consume when they...It is hard to figure out how many calories will be consumed with the limited...
The 942-calorie salad; That's the same as eating two Big Macs.
; ...contain almost the same number of calories as two Big Mac burgers. One available...across the UK packs an incredible 942 calories per serving and is almost 35 per cent...than a third of a man's. It has more calories than any of the chain's pizzas. Tom...
How to eat healthy at the top chain restaurants. (includes related articles on calorie content of desserts, low-fat dishes and hidden calories)
; ...low-fat, fat-free, and guiltless items calories and fat still skyrocketed if we didn...fat-free dressing (2 tablespoons 50 calories) or calorie-free red wine vinegar...12-ounce center-cut sirloin (about 500 calories), big enough to share or leave half...