(In other words, it could help the government save time and money when feeding large groups of people.)įor someone who is looking to measure, and maximize, their food intake, the definition of a calorie comes down to your overall energy needs, explained Uma Naidoo, M.D., author of “This Is Your Brain on Food.” “Calories ultimately provide the body with energy to power through each day,” she said. The calorie was meant to provide a quantifiable way of mass-feeding children in schools and members of the army and inmates. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that children and adults consume calories based on their age group, sex, and level of activity, which is anywhere between 1,600 and 3,000 calories, depending on where you fall on that scale.īut while calories, and the notion of a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, continues to be a part of dietary and health guidelines in the U.S., it’s important to note that the creators of the concept had a much less health-centric aim in mind in 1896 - which is when this proposed number of calories per day was first introduced. Below, Lustig breaks down what a calorie is, its relation to your metabolism, and how to fuel to stay energized and strong. In other words, how many calories you should consume, and burn, per day is irrelevant. He explained that calorie consumption (and expenditure) are part of a person’s overall metabolic processes, or metabolism, and are highly dependent on the person’s genetics, age, environment and the chemical makeup of the foods they consume. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L., a pediatric endocrinologist and author of “The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine.” But when it comes to using that metric as a means for improving, and measuring, your health, counting calories is pretty much useless, said Robert H. In short, it’s hard to escape discourse around calories in the fitness world. Many wearable fitness trackers also claim to know the number of calories a person can scorch throughout the day. Scan the Nutrition Facts label on the back of any packaged food item in the U.S., and you’ll see its total calories - a figure based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, as the label will likely also note in a tiny disclaimer font.Ĭalorie counting, or burning rather, has often been used as an indicator of how “successful” a workout was - hop on a treadmill or elliptical and the machine will often display how many calories you’ve “burned” while on it. If there’s one metric society tends to measure food with, it’s calories.
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