All About Calories
All About Calories

Calories are the units of energy contained in the food and drink we consume. Calories are either burned to produce energy or, if excess to requirements, stored as fat.

Calories and Kilocalories (kcal)

It's easy to get confused about calories and kilocalories since, in a nutrition context, values are actually given for the number of kilocalories in a food, but referred to simply as calories.

In scientific terms:

1000 calories = 1 kilocalorie = 1 kcal = the energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1°C.

In nutrition terms:

ie. What you'll find on food packaging, calories = kilocalories and are used interchangeably.

In some instances food energy is measured in kilojoules - mostly by the scientific community - though some food packaging also gives kilojoule (kJ) values. 1 kilocalorie = 4.2 kilojoules.

Counting Calories

Most medical professionals agree that making sure that calories consumed are less than calories expended is the best way to lose weight - find out more about calorie counting.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

Daily calorie requirements vary from person to person - find out more about calorie intake

How to Burn More Calories

There are three ways the body burns calories - here's how you can make your body burn more calories

Calories in Popular Food

A browse through our mini calorie counters will give you an idea of how many calories there are in different types of food. Popular foods calorie counter

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