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The basic facts of calories


“A calorie is . . .

A unit of energy. First described in the 1800s, a calorie is technically the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. But in the health and nutrition world, a calorie is the potential energy in food and the amount of energy the body uses, according to the American Dietetic Assn.’s Complete Food and Nutrition Guide.

“We need this reference value in the same way we’d need to know how many pieces of wood to build a certain size house,” said San Diego registered dietitian Janice Baker, a certified diabetes educator. “Everyone’s body needs different amounts of energy based on height, weight, activity level, age and other factors. A calorie is not good or bad. It just is.”"

via latimes

posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by gunnard in health, nutrition

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