A calorie is a measure of the amount of energy released from food when the body breaks it down. These calories are used by the body as "fuel" to help it perform its functions, such as breathing and circulating blood.
Different foods contain different amounts of calories, depending on the amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and alcohol they contain.
- Carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories per gram.
- Fat provides 9 calories per gram.
- Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram.
The nutritional calorie is sometimes called a kilocalorie (kcal), or just a calorie (cal). To avoid confusion, units of energy for food are sometimes given in kilojoules. One calorie is approximately equal to 4.184 kJ.
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