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What are Calories?We talk about cutting down on calories to lose weight, but what are calories?
Calories are mostly associated with food, but a calorie is a unit of energy, or more specifically the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. (You may also have heard of the unit joule, a common unit of energy used in the physical sciences. 1 calorie is equal to 4.184 joules.) We need energy to survive and we humans get our energy from carbohydrates, protein and fat, so called macronutrients. We need those nutrients for body functions such as growth, metabolism, breathing, blood circulation etc. Each of these macronutrients provide calories, energy. 1 gram of carbohydrates provides 4 calories. 1 gram of proteins provides 4 calories. 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories. Our bodies burn the calories, the energy, through different metabolic procedures. The carbohydrates get turned into glucose and other sugars, the protein into amino acids and the fats into glycerol and fatty acids. The blood stream transports these little molecules to the cells. The cells use them for the metabolism or store them for later use. When we cut down on calories the cells use what’s stored. Good luck with mastering the art of counting calories. 
With you on the weigh, Eva
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