The word calorie has long been closely associated with diet. Before counting grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, dieters count calories. This was and still is the only way to lose weight. So let’s take a look at what exactly a calorie is and how it relates to body weight. As noted in a previous chapter, calories are how we measure the energy value of our food. Simply put, we couldn’t survive without calories from food. Technically, a calorie is the amount of energy, or heat, required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius (or one point eight degrees Fahrenheit). Think of a calorie as a unit of energy. When we think of a cheeseburger as “six hundred calories,” that is measured by the potential energy it contains. A hamburger contains each of the three types of macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Each type of macronutrient contains a specific amount of calories.
Carbohydrates
One gram = 4 calories
Protein
one gram = 4 calories
fat
one gram = 9 calories
All foods are made up of one or more of these three macronutrients, which are essential nutrients that the body needs in relatively large amounts. If you are cooking at home and you know the macronutrient composition of the foods in your meal, you can calculate the number of calories by adding the calories present in the total amount of fat and protein. But who has time for that? In this book you will find extensive recipes for everyday life. If you look at the recipes, you won’t have to count anything, not calories, not grams of fiber. Calories and fiber can be provided for each recipe. And if you’d like to use your own recipes, I’ve provided graphical visual calorie and fiber counters for a hundred different foods that allow you to calculate fiber grams and calories just by looking at your own recipe. Use the journal template in Appendix A to keep track of your bills as you plan your meals and snacks.