What Is a Calorie?
We often associate losing weight with calorie counting.
But what is a calorie anyway?
In simple terms, a calorie is a measure of energy that is needed to do some work.
Scientifically speaking, the calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.
When scientists need to determine the caloric content of food, they measure the amount in 1,000-calorie units called kilocalories.
But those who do not wear a starched white lab coat and thick safety glasses, simply use “calorie” to describe the amount of energy in food.
So the 80-calorie apple you munch on at snack time is really 80 kilocalories. [source: eatright.org]
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