The caloric necessities are the quantity of calories that each individual needs in 24 hours.

The life of the men and of the animals it can be compared with the operation of a machine; in both cases a continuous expense of energy exists to produce heat and movement and in both cases a continuous supply of fuel is required.

When a machine has drained its fuel he/she stops. while yes the human motor stops to receive food it can continue living using its reservations and burning its fabrics (weigh loss). Yes a machine receives too combustible it can drown and to stop, while yes the human motor receives a quantity from food superior to its necessities it can transform it and to store it in its standby adipose tissues (it puts on weight).

On the other hand, it is possible to interrupt the operation of a machine that won’t consume fuel under such conditions; the human motor on the other hand cannot stop, so death penalty, and in consequence it is in a state of continuous movement and of constant consumption.

In absolute rest (basal metabolism) the caloric consumption is minimum, while this increases proportionally to the physical activity (I spend energy). The caloric necessities are the sum of the basal energy metabolism and of the consumption in any other energy way, and they are satisfied by the quantity and quality of the allowances ingested in 24 hours.

The caloric necessities vary from an individual to another in function of numerous factors, as age, weight, height, sex, race, constitution, temperament, etc., but they are conditioned mainly by the fellow’s physical activity. The consumption difference between a work and another is enormous: he/she spends that the caloric consumption of an intellectual working hour (students, employees, etc.) that ascends to hardly 1,75 calories per minute, to the 1045 calories in the event of heavy works.

The calorie (kilocalorie, lime or. Keal) it is an unit of measure of the heat-energy taken place by the allowances. By definition, a calorie is equal to the quantity of necessary heat so that, to normal atmospheric pressure, a liter of water distilled reach of 14,5 to 15,5 ºC.

The allowances introduced in our organism and burned in the different transformation phases they produce heat-energy and they are therefore able to satisfy the necessities caloric singular. If the same quantities of straw burn in a stove, paper, fossil coal, oil or gasoline are obtained a duration and a very different power of heat for each element. In the same way, the alimentary principles able to produce energy, as proteins, fatty and hydrates of carbon, possess different caloric value (vitamins, mineral salts, enzymes, hormones, etc., they only have a function regulator).

A gram of fat develops some q calories, a gram of proteins some 4,5 calories and a gram of hydrates of carbon some 4,5 calories.

The different present allowances in our table few times are pure, that is to say most of the times contain fatty. proteins and hydrates of carbon in different proportions, besides water, mineral salts, enzymes, etc. to determine the caloric value of the allowances is necessary to consult some charts created to such an end and that they specify the proportions of the different present elements in each food and they indicate the total caloric value.

To continue with cause knowledge a reasonable diet it is necessary to know the caloric value of the different allowances. This avoids them to always be made the same errors and that the lost kilos are won with so much effort.

Tags: calories, nutritional