Everything about calories: top facts that will surprise you

Author: Mikhail Ziborov - author of the site makefitness.pro.
2023-09-27

The law of conservation of energy states that energy does not come from nowhere and does not disappear into nothing. In other words, it needs to originate from somewhere (for example, from food) and be expended somewhere (for instance, for physical activity). If energy is received but not spent, it will accumulate. That is why you should learn more about calories.

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Calories – A Measure of Energy

The digestion of food is accompanied by the release of energy. Energy is measured in calories, more specifically in kilocalories (kcal). Energy is released during the breakdown of molecules of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and in very rare cases, certain types of fiber: the bonds between atoms are broken by digestive enzymes, releasing energy.

Just as distance is measured in meters, energy is measured in calories.

Thanks to the energy released, our body functions: muscles contract, nerve impulses travel along nerve fibers, and internal organs operate according to their functions. All thanks to energy.

Cooking Methods Change the Caloric Content of Food

Everyone knows the basic cooking methods – boiling, frying, stewing, and steaming. Each of these methods affects the calorie content of food differently.

Frying is the "heaviest" method in terms of increasing calorie content. This is because food is usually fried in oils. And oils are fats, i.e., nutrients with the highest calorie content (9 kcal per 1 g). The more oil you add to the pan, the higher the calorie content of the prepared meal.

Boiling usually reduces the calorie content of food by about 20% (this varies among different products: some lose more, some less). Fats, sugars, and a small portion of proteins are leached out of the products, resulting in a lower calorie count for the final dish. Everything that is leached out ends up in the water (broth), which evaporates. And if you drain the water, then… those calories go down the drain.

However, the situation is a bit different with potatoes, which often serve as a primary component in dishes. When boiled, they increase their calorie content by nearly 30%. The same applies to carrots and beets, which, like potatoes, contain a lot of starch. In other words, the calorie content of these products rises during boiling.

Stewing is very similar to boiling: the entire process occurs in the same water. But the difference is that during boiling, the water is either drained or a significant portion evaporates, while during stewing, everything turns into a sauce and is served as part of the dish. So, the calorie content does not change significantly. However, keep in mind that it may increase if you add oil.

Cooking by steaming is the most dietary method. In this case, there is a loss of calories and the preservation of micronutrients almost in full (unlike all other methods, where some vitamins and minerals are lost).

Just as an example of how caloric values change during cooking:

- the calorie content of 100 g of raw (green) buckwheat is 343 kcal. Boiled in water – only 92 kcal;

- 100 g of raw white rice is 360 kcal. Boiled in water – 130 kcal.

Caloric Value on Food Labels – These Are Average Figures

All those numbers regarding nutrients and energy content that you see on food packaging are not precise indicators. The actual caloric value can differ from what's stated on the label by up to 20%: either plus 20% or minus 20%. And, by the way, this is within the bounds of governmental labeling recommendations.

In general, if a package states that 100 g of this product contains 200 kcal, you won't get exactly 200 kcal, but somewhere between 160 and 240 kcal.

That’s why you shouldn't be fanatical about counting the calories of everything you eat. Because you won't be able to calculate the calories consumed exactly: we don't know how much energy we are actually consuming since the packages provide averaged data. That’s why the meal plan we propose, while indicating the caloric value of everything a person will eat, is still based on other dietary principles that allow for both weight loss and muscle gain.

The Amount of Calories – The Main Condition for Losing or Gaining Weight

No matter what anyone says, losing weight or gaining body mass primarily depends on energy intake and expenditure. What do you think happens if a person consumes 2400 kcal a day, while their body only expends 2000 kcal? Right – the remaining 400 kcal gets stored under the skin as fat.

This same principle works in reverse: if you expend more than you consume, you lose weight. Because the body will extract the missing energy from its subcutaneous reserves. That’s how people lose weight.

And no other conditions, such as a slowed metabolism, hormonal imbalances, eating after 6 PM or at night, or high spikes in insulin, matter as much for weight loss or gain as the volume of calories consumed.

By the way, the same principle applies when it comes to building muscle mass. For growth and development, a surplus of energy is needed in your diet, not to mention other important macronutrients – proteins and fats. For those interested, a significant amount of protein can be consumed from protein supplements if you can’t get enough from regular food. How to eat for muscle growth – here.

If you eat a lot but your muscle mass isn't increasing, you are merely under the illusion that you are eating a lot!