What does Calories mean to you?

• A calorie is a unit of energy
• Calories are essential for human health; the key is taking on the right amount
• Everyone requires different amounts of energy per day depending on age, size and activity levels.

The terms large calorie and small calorie can be confusing, and to add further confusion, are often mistakenly used interchangeably. This article focuses on calories associated with foods, drinks and human energy expenditure (our burning up of energy).

Not everybody requires the same number of calories each day. Our ideal calorific consumption depends on several factors, including our overall general health, physical activity demands, sex, weight, height, and shape. A 6ft tall, 25-year-old professional soccer player needs many more calories each day than a 5ft 4ins sedentary woman aged 75.

Health authorities around the world find it hard to agree on how many calories their citizens should ideally consume. The US government says the average man requires 2,700 calories per day and the average woman 2,200, while the NHS (National Health Service), UK, says it should be 2,500 and 2,000 respectively. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations says the average adult should consume no less than 1,800 calories per day.

It is widely known that those who are overweight often eat many more calories than those who are at their ideal weight. Calories do have a direct bearing on health and the rate that you burn calories also determines your healthy weight levels.

When your caloric intake is too low you will have several health problems. One problem is reduced muscles mass. Your body searches for sources of energy to just keep vital organs functioning and it will turn to your muscle mass for those energy foods. This is called catabolism. Your metabolic rate will drop dramatically if you eat too little calories and after three days of low calorie intake this will compound your muscle mass loss. When you don”t eat enough calories you become sluggish, develop nutritional deficiencies, and are often highly irritable. If you are lowering your caloric intake for weight reduction, you are actually setting yourself for high weight gain when you do being to eat properly again.

Binge dieting or not taking in enough calories can cause your vital organs to stop functioning properly. You will also have inadequate nutrient intake which will lead to electrolyte imbalances, low-potassium levels and low blood sugars. Watch for gallstones to form and gastrointestinal distress will now be a part of your life.

If you are looking for a quickie weight loss program look for a diet that will provide you with adequate calories to keep your organs and body functioning. Remember that you will definitely regain lost weight using low calorie diets, fatigue will keep you from working out and gaining back muscle mass, and you will lower your quality of life.

Eating a diet high in calories is yummy, but it can be detrimental if you are not highly active. Some high calorie diets are prescribed for active athletes or people who need to gain weight. However if you have an average metabolism and activity level, high calorie diets will have a disastrous affect – even if you are eating nutritious foods.

Eating more calories than your body burns causes the body to either excrete the energy or store it in fat cells for the future. When you have adequate supplies of insulin your body chooses to store excess calories in fat cells. The result is weight gain and higher body fat percentages.
High calorie intake will cause stress on your body. High caloric foods are high in fats and sugars and extraordinary intake of these types of foods increase your risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancers. If you eat a large amount of food you will stress your digestive process which can decrease your length of life as well as your quality of living. Keep your calorie intake equal to your calorie output. Check out calorie counters for the proper amounts of foods to eat to ensure that you are not too heavy to move around or too weak to function.

List of Vegetables Calorie Chart

Reference: https://www.healthstatus.com/health_blog/body-fat-calculator-2/caloric-intake-affects-health-2/ & http://survival-mastery.com/diy/food_preserv/high-calorie-vegetables.html