Foods that you eat contribute energy and nutrients for daily body function. The energy that a food releases when digested is measured in calories. The amount of calories that you consume is either depleted through physical activity or stored as fat tissue. Losing or gaining weight indicates an imbalance in your caloric intake and expenditure. You can adjust your diet toward different calorie levels and your exercise schedule toward greater or lesser intensity to arrive at a calorie balance.
Caloric Intake and Weight
If you take in more calories than you consume on a regular basis, you'll gain weight. If you don't get enough calories to meet exercise demands, your body will burn your stored fat, and you'll lose weight. The ideal caloric intake represents a balance between these two extremes, resulting in weight maintenance. The number of calories that you need to achieve this may differ from the average 2,000-calorie daily limit. The National Institutes of Health point out that a moderate, sustainable intake of both calories and nutrients best serves your health. As you watch your calories, be sure to eat a wide variety of foods so as not to get too much of any one nutrient.
High-Calorie Foods
Foods with more fat and sugar, such as meats and sweets, carry more calories than foods that have greater water and fiber content, such as fruits and vegetables. If your diet has a larger ratio of fatty or sugar-sweetened foods, your risk for weight gain is higher. The USDA notes that fast foods, many of which contain both fat and sugar, increases your odds for gaining weight. Additional high-calorie foods include full-fat dairy products, fried foods and regular carbonated beverages.
Low-Calorie Foods
Foods with significant fiber, such as low-sugar, whole-grain cereal, beans, cooked spinach and pears, all contain low calories per suggested serving. Some calorie amounts, such as those in low-fat milk products and fish, are beneficial to your diet because they accompany a high density of essential nutrients, such as calcium and protein but not fat. When choosing low-calorie foods, weigh their nutritional value against their caloric burden to determine their place in your diet.
Significance
Because too few or too many calories affects your weight and your nutritional balance, regulating your caloric intake is important to your health. Inadequate energy also implies potential nutrient deficiency, while excess energy may indicate overconsumption of food elements that can harm your health, such as saturated fat and cholesterol. Therefore, overweight conditions are considered risk factors for diet-related diseases. The Office of the Surgeon General reports that becoming overweight increases the likelihood of developing cardiovascular problems, type 2 diabetes and some kinds of cancer.
Member Comments