What Are Calories Exactly?

How Stuff Works

In our journey to get healthy understanding calories is pertinent. In fact having the knowledge of exactly what those things called calories are can help you when trying to make decisions regarding your health. I will start by saying calories are not the enemy, they only appear that way because of our lack of knowledge on what exactly a calorie is and how it works.

Calorie as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary is "an amount of heat exactly equal to 4.1840 joules." (Thermodynamics) and "a unit equal to the kilocalorie, used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.-- a quantity of food capable of producing such an amount of energy." (Physiology)

Origin: French, equivalent to calor- which in Latin means heat. 

In the scientific world a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. 

Okay now that we have defined the word, what does that mean for our overall health. Well, learning that calories are the measurements of fuel or energy value of food, or rather that the amount of calories in a specific food item will provide your body with that much energy units tells us that by consuming some food stuff we are essentially turning that food stuff into energy. How much energy? The number of calories that food source is worth is the amount of energy you are adding to your body. 

The other important thing to note is that in order to successfully monitor the amount of calories (energy) you should consume it is important to decide on a specific number of calories your body needs to sustain health. In order to find this amount you can use a health coach such as Noom (which is the coach I use, and happens to be a very helpful and free downloadable app). Medical News Today suggests that the number of calories you should eat is dependent upon your age, size, height, sex, lifestyle, and overall health. One way to calculate your caloric intake is to use the Harris-Benedict equation:

Male Adult:
66.5 + (13.75 x kg body weight) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age) = BMR
66 + ( 6.23 x pounds body weight) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.76 x age) = BMR

Female Adult:
55.1 + (9.563 x kg body weight) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age) = BMR
65.5 + (4.35 x kg body weight) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

After calculating your BMR you can then use a BMR calculator to find out how many calories your body will burn if you do nothing at all. You can find the calculator at Medical News Today.

After you have found the number of calories your body burns on average with no exercise at all you can then decide how many more calories you would like to burn and settle on an exercise plan that works for you. It is important to note that you should not begin a new diet or exercise plan without first consulting your doctor or physician.

Once you have settled on the number of calories you will consume, and the number of calories you wish to burn you need to find an easy way to keep track of your caloric intake. As I mentioned above I use my Noom Coach app (It's free and amazing!). You can do a quick google search to find other free calorie counters to help you keep track of your intake. MyFitnessPal offers a free calorie counting app to help you track your caloric intake.

Another aspect to consider when forming your new eating plan is what you are eating. While it is okay to decide that you are going to consume 1200 calories a day, you need to think about what you will "give" those calories to. I think of it as a daily budget. I question the nutritional value of the food I consume and ask myself how my body will use that energy. A question that Medical News Today brings up and is very valid is if the calories in a chocolate bar will do the same for your body as the calories in a carrot. My addition to this is the question: "am I willing to give a candy bar 140 calories from my budget?" I also ask myself how filling the food I eat will be. Is the 140 calories from a candy bar going to fill me up until my next nutritional meal? The answer is almost always no, though I do indulge every now and again because if you don't treat yourself eventually you'll frustrate yourself and quitting soon follows.

When grocery shopping I look at the number of calories in each food stuff I purchase, in addition to serving size. If it is a nutritional item that has a portion size that will sustain me it usually goes in my cart, however if I find that there are a big number of calories for a small portion I will either look for an alternative or choose something different.

I do hope that this information on what a calorie is and how your body uses calories is helpful to you and gives you some insight for your journey to health.

Until next time I wish you luck on your journey,
Alaina


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Dessert Alternatives

Since beginning my "Get Healthy" journey I have changed my eating habits, which I believe has aided in my weight loss as well as my overall health. I want to share a few of my alternatives I've switched to in hopes that you might find them helpful as well.

Ice Cream (Okay really this should be titled Dessert, but who am I kidding?)
I am an ice cream addict, or rather I was. I think the hardest thing for me to give up when making the choice to be healthy was ice cream. However, it needed to be done because I was having a bowl of ice cream every night before I made the switch. (And I wonder why I didn't feel healthy, I was tired, and sluggish.)

I discovered Yopa! Yopa is the most delicious greek yogurt I have found and Yopa has a yogurt that comes with toppings. My absolute favorite is Yopa Raspberry with Dove chocolate pieces you can add in. It is absolutely amazing and it kicks my ice cream loving sweet tooth cravings. The other Yopa flavor I find tasty is Yopa vanilla with M&M's. Though I think I can make this one at home if I just buy the bigger tub of greek yogurt and some mini M&M's but I usually just go ahead and buy the pre-packaged version. This is an affordable alternative at only $1 per container. The only place I've been able to find Yopa, however, is Walmart and the selection basically consists of Raspberry and Dove, Vanilla and M&M, and Lemon and shortbread. When I need to switch to something else I also eat the Yocrunch yogurt with toppings. Because Yocrunch is regular (not Greek) yogurt it is a little cheaper at 5/$3 (at Walmart). It is yummy, but in my opinion nothing can beat the deliciousness of Greek yogurt, especially when you are trying to replace ice cream.

I do have to say that I still allow myself a little ice cream every now and again, but when I do I stick to the recommended portion size which is 1/2 cup.

Another dessert I have come to love that is very low in calories is sugar-free jello. It is delicious and if you buy it pre-packaged each cup only has 5 calories! This is awesome for the days you really want dessert but had a somewhat high calorie dinner.

The Black Bean Brownie recipe I referred to in an earlier post are also a wonderful alternative for those brownie lovers out there. In fact I made regular fudge brownies two days ago and tried a small slice, I think I prefer the Flour-less to the ones made with flour now.

It can be difficult to find low-calorie recipes. In fact searching for low-calorie recipes (I've found) can be frustrating because they are always attached to some special diet. I have found and made use of some weight watchers recipes that turned out deliciously and were low cal but if you want to skip the hassle of finding recipes I invite you to follow me on Pinterest. I have a special Calorie Friendly board dedicated to low-calorie yummy recipes. In fact they are so yummy your family will hardly notice they are eating healthy!

Follow my pin board Calorie Friendly here!

Until next time, I wish you good health and luck on your journey! Please feel free to share your success, motivation, and especially your favorite alternatives in the comment section below.

-Alaina

Soda, Pop... There are many names but is it good for you?

Soda can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. If you are trying to get healthy and lose weight soda is obviously your worst nightmare.

When I refer to soda I am speaking of carbonated soft drinks, whatever you call them in your neck of the woods is your prerogative.

First what is in soda?

Yes, it's delicious, but what makes it so delicious?

In most soda's you will find:
carbonated water
high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose
caramel color
phosphoric acid
natural flavors
caffeine
and sometimes sodium benzoate (used as a preservative)

If you are anything like me you have heard of these things, or rather read them on the back of your soda can but have no understanding of what they actually are. All you know (and me too) is that soda tastes good and so you drink it. It gives you energy and so you drink it. But should you?

Let's break it down:

Carbonated water is water that contains carbon dioxide. Most of the time the carbon dioxide that creates the tiny bubbles in the water was forced into the water at a manufacturing plant, however there are some water sources that are naturally carbonated. The carbonated water found in soda is the type that was infused or charged in a manufacturing plant. Carbonated water does not become a health hazard until there are other things such as salts and some minerals are added to it, though the most dangerous use of carbonated water is in flavored soda according to wiseGEEK.

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made from corn starch. It contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose. This sweetener replaced common sugar because it is cheaper and is now used as the main sweetener in carbonated soft drinks (soda). While fructose has been related to the sugars in fruit which are natural sugars, the process to create high fructose corn syrup modifies this sugar so much so that the health benefits of this sweetener is questionable. High fructose corn syrup is oftentimes thought to be a contributor to obesity.

Caramel color is a food coloring, food colorings can be naturally derived or chemically derived. They can come from bugs, plants, and chemical reactions. Food dyes are the most commonly used type of food coloring used in soda. The burning of coal tar is a very popular way to create a broad spectrum of food coloring and dyes, however it is not risk free. The coal tar derivatives used to create these food coloring and dyes has been shown to cause asthma and other respiratory problems if consumed in large quantities. According to wiseGEEK it has also been linked to cancers, heart troubles, and behavioral problems in children.

Phosphoric acid, says Fooducate, is a "clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a syrupy consistency." It is used to give soda a tangy flavor. The use of this acid makes soda more acidic than lemon juice or vinegar, however the acidity is masked by the high fructose corn syrup. Phosphoric acid has been shown to cause low bone density, though Fooducate points out that according to Pepsi Co. "low intake" of phosphoric acid causes low bone density. Phosphoric acid is used to remove rust, that's right; it's a rust remover. Would you go to your garage and drink a bottle of acid? I'm sure your answer is no, and why not? Because it would eat your insides so wouldn't small quantities of acid do the same thing over a longer period of time?

Caffeine, no matter how you look at it caffeine is a drug. It is a drug that nearly everyone (at least in the US) is guilty of consuming at one point in their life or another. However there are both health benefits and negative aspects to caffeine. Caffeine can be very addicting, in fact it is one of the most addicting aspects of soda. Because of it's addicting qualities the international medical community recognizes caffeine withdrawal to be a medical symptom. Caffeine also naturally occurs in chocolate, tea, and other sources, but it is added to soda. There are current studies looking at the potential benefits that caffeine may have on some diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer, and some cancers. However the beneficial caffeine is the naturally occurring caffeine. It is useful in stimulating the heart, and in small quantities can aid in your diet. However large quantities are dangerous. It can cause too much stimulation of the heart, caffeine can cause restlessness, anxiety, and sleeplessness.

Sodium Benzoate, according to Natural News, has the ability to deprive cells of oxygen. It can break down the immune system, and cause cancer. Do not confuse this silent killer for benzoic acid which is found naturally in fruits, claims Natural News, Benzoate is a synthesized (made in a lab) component and is very dangerous.

Therefore as you can see by looking at each of the individual ingredients, the things contained in a can of soda are harmful for the most part. They will not contribute to your path to health, they will not aide your journey. In fact they may do the opposite. So you are left with the responsibility of choosing whether the small joy of how a soda tastes for a moment is worth putting your journey on hold?

If you find yourself asking what are your alternatives might I suggest water. I know that water can be "plain" but I promise that if you make the switch and discipline yourself to drink only water for a week your taste buds will change and you will begin to crave water. Another wonderful alternative is unsweetened tea, and may I suggest Bigelow's Plantation Mint. It is absolutely delicious. Once again it takes time for your taste buds and your mind to give up that sugar you are used to drinking all of the time, but when you compare the small time it takes to give these chemicals up to the dangers the chemicals present isn't it worth it in the end?

Until next time I wish you good health and I am proud of you for making it this far in your journey to health! Keep up the good work, and if you may choose to take on the soda challenge, I wish you the best!

-Alaina