When you read that a serving of food — say, one banana — has 105 calories, that means metabolizing the banana produces 105 calories of heat that your body can use for work.
You may wonder which kinds of food have the most calories. Here’s how the calories measure up in 1 gram of the following foods:
You may wonder which kinds of food have the most calories. Here’s how the calories measure up in 1 gram of the following foods:
- Protein: 4 calories
- Carbohydrates: 4 calories
- Alcohol: 7 calories
- Fat: 9 calories
In other words, ounce for ounce, proteins and carbohydrates give you fewer than half as many calories as fat. That’s why — again, ounce for ounce —high-fat foods, such as cream cheese, are high in calories, while low-fat foods, such as bagels (minus the cream cheese, of course), are not. Sometimes foods that seem to be equally low-calorie really aren’t. You have to watch all the angles, paying attention to fat in addition to protein and carbohydrates.
Here’s a good example: A chicken breast and a hamburger are both high-protein foods. Both should have the same number of calories per ounce. But if you serve the chicken without its skin, it contains very little fat, while the hamburger is (sorry about this) full of it. A 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken provides 140 calories, while a 3-ounce burger yields 230 to 245 calories, depending on the cut of the meat.
Here’s a good example: A chicken breast and a hamburger are both high-protein foods. Both should have the same number of calories per ounce. But if you serve the chicken without its skin, it contains very little fat, while the hamburger is (sorry about this) full of it. A 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken provides 140 calories, while a 3-ounce burger yields 230 to 245 calories, depending on the cut of the meat.
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