calories
WHAT are calories?
We get energy from the food we eat, this is called calories. We need calories to live.
Calories are not equivalent with carbohydrates “carbs”.
hOW MUCH DO WE NEED?
How much calories an adult need depends many things but three different things in particular:
- how much energy your body consumes while you rest,
- the energy needed to metabolize the foods you eat, and
- how much you move.
Many people eat more calories than they lose, resulting in obesity. Others have difficulty eating enough often resulting in weight loss.
There are a lot of public sources to guide you in your specific calorie needs. In general, and this is very general, adult females need from 1,700 to 2,500 kcal per day, and adult males from 2,000 to 3,200 kcal per day. This is all dependent on age and the factors listed above.
calories in a plant-based diet
The nutrients that provide energy are protein, carbohydrates, fats, alcohol and dietary fiber (yes really).
to think about
Too much calories leads to weight gain and too little leads to weight loss. Some foods contain many calories per gram and others little. Calories are often measured as kilocalories or “kcal”.
Disclaimer – please note that we are not in any way experts in nutrition, all information above is translated summaries of information available on the Swedish National Food Administration’s (Livsmedelsverket) webpage.
