What Is a Calorie?

Calories are something that we have been conditioned to pay attention to for decades, as they are on (just about) everything that we buy, whether at the grocery store or in a restaurant, it is often hard to escape them. Even if you are in a place where the calorie amount is not accessible, it can often be on one’s mind, wondering how many calories are in X, as dieting is something we are all too familiar with.

But what are calories? When and why did we become so obsessed with them? A calorie is a unit of a measure of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one liter of water by one degree. Sounds complicated, right? It was created in the 19th century by a (some say) French chemist, Nicolas Clément-Desormes, who was actually using it to refer to the internal heat of the body. Now let’s relate it to food. In the early 1900’s, the first book about calories and weight loss was published: Diet and Health: With Key to the Calories by Lula Hunt Peters. There is a line in the book that states “instead of saying one slice of bread or one piece of pie, you will say 100 calories of bread, 350 calories of pie.” She also believed that women 5’5” and under should not eat more than 1200 calories per day. As you can see, this idea around calories started far before smart phones were there to make it easier to estimate a calorie count, and there was still this huge pressure to eat small amounts, only think of food in calorie form, and be highly obsessed with weight.

That being said, all calorie counts on labels are estimated, there is no definite. We cannot say “this banana is 100 calories” because what size is the banana? Who is determining the size? What does the banana do in each individual’s body? Of course, we can guess at a ballpark number, but there is a lot more to consider when looking at any particular food. Similarly, the numbers of calories per gram of each macronutrient (protein, carbohydrates, fat) are also averages, and, again, they respond differently to each person’s body, as digestive systems are all unique.

So, if the entire idea of a calorie now seems a bit confusing or even a waste of time paying attention to, what is the best road to take when it comes to food? Changing your focus from calories to food quality and healthy lifestyle practices are what will lead to not only a healthier weight, but a more balanced and attainable lifestyle. We all burn calories differently, heavily depending on what you’re eating, what your metabolism is like, what your gut microbiome is looking like, how is your sleep, how stressed you are. Nutritional health is not just about the food that you eat, especially not only about the calories that you consume. Getting in whole and diverse foods, listening to your body, enjoying food altogether no matter the category it falls under, partaking in stress reducing activities, getting enough sleep, and just taking care of yourself are worth far more than what the number on the back of a food label says.

If you are looking for a more individualized nutrition plan for yourself, reach out to the Evolve Team to schedule a nutrition consultation!