Calories are an indispensable source of energy for the human body. However, a lack or excess of calories is not good for overall health. So, how many calories do we need to provide a day to benefit the body? What foods contain calories, let’s learn more through the article below
What role do calories play in the body?
Calories are the unit to calculate the energy content available in food. They usually exist in the form of: protein, fat and starch. Most foods have calories but their calorie content is not the same, the highest calorie count is in fat.
Moreover, the body always needs calories to survive and move. Without energy, cells in the body will die, and organs cannot maintain basic processes to ensure life.
Daily calories absorbed through drinks and food. If you are provided with the necessary amount of calories every day, your body will function normally and healthily. On the contrary, providing too many or too few calories will cause health problems.
Excess calories: When calories are loaded into the body, it will accumulate under excess fat. From there, a number of problems arise such as: bone and joint disease, blood pressure disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease,…
Calorie deficiency: When the body is not provided with the amount of calories needed to maintain minimum activity. If there is a lack of calories, the body will become tired, easily get angry, lack concentration, etc. The longer this condition lasts, the body will have to store calories in fat tissue and muscles to compensate, leading to reduced resistance, infection, or weakness, etc.
How many calories should one take in a day?
How many calories should a person take in a day day?
The amount of calories each person needs to take in each day will be different. Furthermore, depending on each person’s different conditions such as gender, age, health, etc. According to experts, the average adult female needs to consume about 2000 calories, and for men needs 2500 calories per day.
For people who regularly exercise or do heavy physical work, they need to consume more calories. On the contrary, people who are less physically active and often sit in one place, such as office workers, students, etc., need to take in a lower amount of calories, enough to maintain activity without getting tired.You gain weight.
Calorie table of foods in daily Vietnamese dishes
Each type of food has functions different calories. Below is a food calorie calculation table for foods and fruits that are very familiar in Vietnamese people’s daily meals.
Calories in foods in Vietnamese dishes
Which foods are low in calories
Vegetables: Green vegetables have the lowest calorie density of any food because they are mostly water, fiber and small amounts of carbs;
Meat and fish: Lean meats such as chicken breast and white fish will be high in protein and low in calories. Fatty meats and fish will have different calorie densities. They are typically moderate to high in calories;
Fruit: Has a low calorie density because the fiber and water content in fruit is very high. Berries and juicy fruits are often low in calories;
Milk and yogurt: Low-fat milks and unsweetened yogurt are low in calories and provide good sources of protein;
Eggs: Eggs are a superfood high in protein with a medium calorie content, especially when combining eggs with vegetables;
Carbs: Some foods with natural starches such as potatoes, beans and vegetables will have low to moderate calorie content. In particular, when these foods are cooked, they will have more water;
Sugar-free drinks: include drinks such as water, coffee and low-calorie tea. Helps you feel full longer.
However, you do not need to completely eliminate fat from your diet. However, you need to pay attention to foods rich in fat in moderation. Even foods rich in healthy fats like nuts, avocados and olive oil can increase weight gain if you eat a lot of them.
Candy and potato chips: These are two foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat, making them high in calories.
Cake is very high in calories and people tend to eat too much;
Fast food: A food group with a rich source of calories. The average fast food meal contains twice the calories of a healthy meal;
Oils: Even healthy oils like coconut oil and olive oil are still high in calories. Therefore, you need to consume oils in moderation;
Fat milk: Products made from milk such as butter, cream and cheese are high in calories. Therefore, they should be consumed in moderation.
Fatty meat: Includes some types of meat that contain a lot of fat such as bacon, lamb, sausage, etc., which are high in calories;
Nuts: A group with high calorie content. However, they have many health benefits but people often tend to eat too much of them.
High-fat condiments: Such as sauces and seasonings that are very high in calories;
Sugary drinks such as soft drinks or smoothies and milkshakes are high in calories.
How are calories in food calculated?
Calories in food are calculated like that
After finding out which foods contain calories, you should understand the nutrients in each type of food. According to research, protein and starch only contain about half the calories/gram compared to fat, specifically:
1g carb = 4 calories;
1g carbs = 4 calories;
1g of fat = 9 calories.
Therefore, for each need to lose weight/gain weight/maintain weight, you need to proportion the groups of substances in each meal accordingly. IfIf you are on a diet, you should cut down on fat and at the same time increase protein and starch. However, it should not be completely removed. Furthermore, you should not consume too much saturated fat. According to the US Health Agency, you should only consume 25% of calories from fat each day.
Through the article below, My Auris has shared useful information about common daily calorie intake such as which foods are calories. Hopefully this article will help you take care of your health as well as understand the calorie content of a serving so you know how many total calories you consume per day. Thanks to that, it brings benefits to the body. Wishing you a healthy life every day!
