Fatty food substances are very high in calories and while fat will always be needed for the normal functioning of your body, it is good to keep an eye on the intake of fatty calories. Fat contains twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrates. Unsaturated fats in particularly olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, and so on are extremely high in calories. Some fish such as salmon, trout and herring are also very high in calories. Some nuts and soya beans as well as avocados are also high calorie food sources – peanuts for example contain very high calorie levels.

Saturated fats or better still solid fats are even higher in calories than their unsaturated counterparts. Animal products like fat meat, cheese, butter, cream and whole cream milk among others are known to carry very high amounts of calories which are notorious for causing infamous coronary heart diseases.

Animal fats and foods such as meat, chicken and egg yolk contain cholesterol which is a substance highly fatty and full of calories. High cholesterol in your body increases the risk of getting heart diseases by building up and congesting your arteries.

Sodas, sport and energy drinks as well other sugary/sweetened drinks and beverages consist of a very high number of calories that do not add any nutritional value to your body. Other high calorie foods to watch for include seasoned, processed and commercially prepared food as most of these are prepared using ingredients from palm and coconut oil/butter. Such foods include snacks, cookies, cakes and so on.

Fruit juice, vegetable juice and food substances low in sodium have very little calories. Other food substances that contain low amount of calories but are extremely nutritious are lettuce, lean meat, soft margarine and so on. All of these have very little saturated fat and calories.

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Calories are energy you derive from foods or drinks you consume and just like we have innumerable varieties of foods, drinks and beverages, there are many different types of calories.

That said you will be interested to know that some fats are healthier than others. Vegetable oils for example are said to be better for your heart than their saturated counterparts or solid fats. Thus substituting solid fats with liquid cooking fats in your diet will do you a lot of good.

Another good idea would be to substitute fat spreads on your bread or burgers with non-fat spreads. For example, think of using margarine instead of cream or butter and so on.

Some calorific foods contain more calories than others. For example, saturated fats such as solid fats contained in many animal products contain some of the highest amounts of calories you can ever consume. Unsaturated fats on the other hand, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, fish, soya beans and nuts have high amounts of calories. Trans fat or hydrogenated fats mainly contained in processed food substances such as snacks are also known to contain processed calories linked to notorious health ailments. The fatty substances contained in animal products such as fat meat, eggs (especially the yolk), butter and so on are very rich in cholesterol.

Sugary drinks and beverages like sodas, sport and energy drinks on the other hand consist of too many empty calories that will not add any nutritional value to your body. The thing is, high calorie substances, be they drinks or foods, give your body a lot more energy than their low calorie counterparts. So unless you know where to empty those excess calories your body does not need, you should be watching your diet closely.

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So you miss that rocking figure that used to turn heads back in college and have convinced yourself that avoiding calories absolutely will get you your mojo back? Or perhaps you are just trying to watch your weight? Well, you may want to know the consequences of getting too little calories.

Calories are extremely important for normal body functions. If your body lacks enough energy-giving foods, it starts to burn off the energy reserves mainly situated in fat tissues underneath your skin. Lethargic feelings and fatigue are some of the immediate effects of getting too little calories. Continuous low intake of calories could lead to enormous weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration.

Even children who are inactive need some calories to enable their growth and development, so getting too little calories will not work even for this group and any other group for that matter as calories are needed to perform all body functions. Kids in particular are at risk of consuming too much junk food that may not contain the amount of calories needed for their rapid growth and play.

The secret would be to provide them with food portions with a high amount of calories and also rich in other nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. Bear in mind that these children are still growing up and getting too little calories is harmful to their growth. So maintain their calorie intake to a standard level – 900 calories and below per day will do for kids under the age of one year while ten years and below will need around 1500 calories daily. As they approach teen age they will need at least 1800 calories per day. If you are an adult concerned with just how much is too little or too much, then around 2000 to 2500 calories will do depending on your sex and level of activity.

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Getting too many calories has never been good if you are not intending to gain any extra weight. If you are not involved in regular exercise, active sports or any other regular physical activities then eating food and consuming drinks with too many calories is not recommended as these extra calories in your body are turned into fat and stored under your skin. Thus getting too many calories will end up making you obese or overweight.

As much as calories are needed to maintain your body functions or even if you intend to add on some weight, you will not want to risk getting too many calories in your body. Consuming too many calories is associated with many chronic heart diseases such as cardiovascular arrest, heart attacks and coronary heart diseases.

You will know you are getting too many calories with your food if your are consuming a lot of fatty food substances such as butter, cheese, peanuts, creams snacks, cakes, doughnuts, high fat-cut meat, coconut oil, olive oil and so on. Most of the saturated and unsaturated fats as well as hydrogenated or processed foods are very rich in calories.

Protein and carbohydrates are not as rich in calories as fats. While one gram of protein or carbohydrates contains only four calories, a similar amount of fat contains nine calories – more than double that of other food substances. Thus it is recommended to keep fat content in your food as low as possible, say 20% to 35% of your total food intake. Very active individuals, however, may consider eating additional calories to compensate for the energy lost through physical activity.

When you are a kid or a teenager your body is undergoing rapid cell growth and division, so a higher intake of calories is not bad for you. If you are an adult and not that active, getting too many calories will not be good for you. Actually you just need enough to cover your basal metabolic rate plus any calories burned through exercise.

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