Calories in the Body
Walk for 30 minutes...
Walking: 3.5 mph (17 min/mi)
Approximately: 107-159 calories
Trans fats are the healthiest type of fat to include in your diet
False. Of all the fats, trans fat is the worst for your health. Too much trans fat in your diet increases your risk for heart disease and other health problems.
Trans fats are made when liquid oils are turned into solid fats, like shortening or margarine. These are called partially-hydrogenated oils (PHOs).
Because of the health risks from these fats, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned food manufacturers from adding PHOs to foods.
Although the food industry has greatly reduced the use of trans fat in recent years, this type of fat may still be found in many fried, packaged, or processed foods, including:
Animal foods, such as red meats and dairy, have small amounts of trans fats, which is not cause for concern in its natural form. Most trans fats are artificially made and come from processed foods.
The human body needs calories to survive
Yes! Calories are energy.
Everything in the world needs energy to survive. Humans get our energy (calories) through food.
Are calories good or bad?
Neither. Calories are just a unit of measure to measure energy
Run for 30 minutes...
Running at 5 mph (12 min/mile)
Approximately 240-340
A diet where a majority of calories come from saturated fats is a good starting point when creating a healthy meal plan
False. Saturated fat, is often found in meat and solid oils (such as butter) and should be eaten in moderation. Too much can cause high cholesterol, clogged arteries, diabetes, and obesity if too much is eaten.
These fats are most often solid at room temperature. Foods like butter, palm and coconut oils, cheese, and red meat have high amounts of saturated fat. When eaten in small doses or moderation, saturated fats can be a part of a healthy diet, but as a whole they do not offer much nutritional value.
Counting calories is a great way to maintain a healthy weight and diet plan
False. Counting calories is not only unsustainable, but it misses the point that a diet which avoids "empty calories" and seeks to gain a balance of all nutrients and food groups is more important than the actual number of calories.
What is a Calorie?
A unit of energy!
For a 7-9 hour night's sleep...
266-415 per night (7-9 hour sleep)
Vegetables, especially dark leafy greens, can help you be a better athlete.
True!
- Veggies contain large amounts of healthy carbohydrates as well as multiple vitamins (such as A, C, E) and minerals (such as magnesium & potassium). These help with muscle contraction, strength and immune function.
- There are also vitamins in vegetables that can open up the blood vessels, improving blood flow and exercise performance.
Are foods labeled as sugar-free, fat-free an easy answer to cutting out unwanted calories?
No, foods labeled as sugar-free or fat-free may have chemical substitutes that are even worse for your body!
It is important to check the ingredients and see if sugar has been replaced by large amounts of fat or chemicals sweeteners, or vise versa, if fats have been replaced with large amounts of sugars.
What are "empty calories?"
Empty calories come from foods that have little to no nutritional value
For your brain to function healthily for a day....
300-500 calories
Drinking fruits in the form of juice can give you all the same nutrients as eating a whole piece of fruit.
FALSE - Many people confuse this with juice and think that by drinking juice they are receiving the same health benefits. However, juice contains higher concentrations of sugar and no fiber, causing blood sugar levels to rise rapidly with many of the same negative effects of sugar.
If I exercise enough, it doesn't really matter what I eat, because I can burn off extra calories...
In order to perform well athletically or exercise efficiently, your body needs proper fuel. This means a diet with a balance of all 4 nutrient categories.
A poor diet matched with exercise will leave your body prone to injury, fatigue, and less than optimum performance.
Is a calorie (Cal) and Kilocalorie (Kcal) the same thing?
Yes. Energy is expressed in 1000-calorie units known as kilocalories. That is, 1 Calorie is equivalent to 1 kilocalorie; the capital C in Calories denotes kcal on food labels, calories and kilocalories are used interchangeably to mean the same thing.
A 13 yr old person who is biologically female needs X amount of calories a day...
1,600-2,400
1,600 calories is the minimum required for teen girls, active girls should consume additional. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, sedentary teen girls between the ages of 13 and 18 need 1,600 to 1,800 calories per day. Older teens need more calories than younger teen girls; for example, an 18-year-old teenage girl should aim for 1,800 to 2,400 calories per day depending on her activity level.
Healthy eating means going on a diet and restricting calories so you are eating less calories than the recommended amount
False.
Healthy eating means eating a balanced diet rich in vegetables and all nutrients. It is important not to deprive your body of any one nutrient or food group. Unless specified by a doctor, simply eating less calories will not make you healthier or help with weight loss goals.
Calories that come from fats are always unhealthy and should be avoided.
False. The body needs fats to survive, to build healthy muscles and even to help the neurons in your brain function!
However, it is important to look for healthy fats. Good fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. (for example found in avacados).
Bad ones include industrial-made trans fats. Saturated fats (mostly from meat) fall somewhere in the middle.
Are foods labeled as "Zero Calorie" foods (ie. a diet soda drink) a good way to avoid calories?
No.
Zero calorie foods are often achieved when manufactures add chemicals that the human body cannot process.
- Artificial sweeteners are hazardous to your health, creating such problems as headaches, seizures, cancer, and sleep disorders, to name a few.
- Diet soft drinks double your obesity risk by increasing cravings for carbohydrates, stimulating your appetite, and increasing fat storage.
A 13-14 yr old person who is biologically male & not active to moderately active needs X amount of calories a day...
1600-2,800
Sedentary teenage boys engage in only light physical activity associated with day-to-day living. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that sedentary boys age 9 to 13 need about 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day and sedentary teenage boys ages 14 to 18 require about 2,000 to 2,400 calories each day.
Moderately Active Teens: (walking 1.5 to 3 miles per day) Age 9 to 13: 1,800 to 2,200 calories per day Ages 14 to 18: 2,400 to 2,800 calories each day.
Could you eat all the calories you should eat or more in a day but still be nutritionally deficient or starving?
Yes. Someone who gets most of their calories through empty calories, may have met their caloric needs but their body will be starving of the necessary nutrients it needs to survive, thrive and perform healing functions.
Overtime, too many calories relative to activity output, can cause... (name at least 6)
- Heightened risk of obesity
- Heightened risk of Diabetes
- Heightened risk of Heart Disease
- Heightened risk of strokes
- Heightened risk of high blood pressure
- Chronic Fatigue
- Increased joint pain
- Sleep issues
- Trouble breathing or shortness of breath
- Skin infections
- Increase in mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety
- Heartburn
- Liver Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Hormone imbalances
- Inflammation and/or chronic pain in the body
How are calories calculated by the manufacturers who put labels on foods?
While there are computer programs and algorithms that now help food scientists skip this step,
the original method placed food in a sealed container surrounded by water (an apparatus known as a bomb calorimeter). The food was completely burned and the resulting rise in water temperature was measured.
A 13-14 yr old person who is biologically male & active or an athlete needs X amount of calories a day...
Active Teens (walking more than 3 miles per day).
9 to 13: 2,000 to 2,600 calories per day
14 to 18: 2,800 to 3,200 calories each day.
Teenage Athletes: May require 2,000 to 5,000 calories per day depending on how active they are.
Protein is the most important nutrient for exercising
False. A healthy balance of nutrients is needed.
Complex Carbs (such as whole grains) and healthy sugars (such as those found in fruits) are needed for energy that is easily accessible for the body to burn for fuel.
Protein and healthy fats are needed to give the body endurance and allow for increased muscle healing following a work out.
Vegetables are needed to provide the body with a variety of vitamins, which help in overall performance
Overtime, too little calories relative to activity output can cause... (name at least 6)
- Low energy & tiredness
- Confusion & Difficulty concentrating, Fuzzy thoughts & Poor problem solving
- Inability to properly regulate body temperature (person gets cold)
- Sleep Issues
- Irritability
- Poor balance or motor control
- Hair loss
- Early onset osteoporosis (weakening of the bones)
- Loss of appetite
- Heart palpitations
- Weakened immune system (more likely to get sick and catch colds)
- Issues with hormones and inability to menstruate for people with ovaries.
- Increased mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety
- In the short term, the body starts storing fat because it begins to go into "starvation mode" in preparation for hard times
- Long term starvation can also cause the body to begin using its own organs and muscles as fuel. Ultimately, without intervention, this could lead to a person's death
In scientific terms, a calorie measures the amount of energy needed to...
Specifically, the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).
A 13 yr old person who is biologically female & active or an athlete needs X amount of calories a day...
2,200 to 2,400 calories each day
Teen athletes, especially those involved in endurance sports, may have calorie needs that exceed recommendations set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
What are examples of foods/drinks that contain "empty calories?" (Name at least 6)
Sugary Drinks (Alcoholic drinks, Sodas, Sports drinks, Some juices)
Sugary Foods (cakes, cookies, hard candies, candy bars)
Solid Fats or Fatty Foods (Butter, Lard, heavily fried foods) etc