Calories are literally defined as units of heat; one calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 g of water by 1 degree Celsius. Calories are also used to measure the energy content of food and the amount of energy expended by your body.
Function
Calories are a way of measuring the fuel levels your body needs to keep operating. Just existing---as your body's systems keep you alive---burns calories. As you participate in more strenuous activities, you burn more calories.
Significance
Your calorie intake is a significant factor in whether you gain or lose weight. Take in more calories than your body can burn off, and they'll be stored as fat.
Considerations
To lose a pound of body fat, you have to burn about 3,500 more calories than you take in.
Identification
There are 4 calories in each gram of carbohydrate or protein. Each gram of fat has 9 calories.
Fun Fact
According to the Center for Human Nutrition, the average person burns between 10 and 11 calories per pound of body weight, each day, while sleeping.
Labeling
The information on most nutrition labels is figured based on a 2,000-calorie a day diet.
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