OUGD406: Communication is a virus, research

Calorie Research

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories.htm

Calories are the units of energy contained in the food and drink we consume. Calories are either burned to produce energy or, if excess to requirements, stored as fat.

Calories and Kilocalories (kcal):

It's easy to get confused about calories and kilocalories since, in a nutrition context, values are actually given for the number of kilocalories in a food, but referred to simply as calories.

In scientific terms:

1000 calories = 1 kilocalorie = 1 kcal = the energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1°C.

In nutrition terms:

ie. What you'll find on food packaging, calories = kilocalories and are used interchangeably.
In some instances food energy is measured in kilojoules - mostly by the scientific community - though some food packaging also gives kilojoule (kJ) values. 1 kilocalorie = 4.2 kilojoules.

Funny Calorie statistics

http://www.statisticbrain.com/calories-burned-during-exercise/

Nutrition:

In nutritional contexts, the kilojoule (kJ) is the main unit of food energy. However, calorie and kilocalorie are still in common use.

In these contexts, confusingly, the word "calorie" (unprefixed) and "kilocalorie" mean the same thing, the large calorie (Cal or kcal). Sometimes, in an attempt to avoid confusion, the large calorie is sometimes written as "Calorie" (with a capital "C"). This convention, however, is not always followed, and not explained to the average person clearly (and is sometimes ambiguous, such as at the beginning of a sentence).

These quantities are often used for the total amount of food energy (e.g., in a meal) and for the specific energy, namely amount of energy per unit of mass (e.g. "calories per gram", "calories per serving"). Nutritional requirements or intakes are often expressed in calories per day.

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/calorie_intake.htm

Daily Calorie Intake:

Recommended daily calorie intake varies from person to person, but there are guidelines for calorie requirements you can use as a starting point.

UK Department of Health Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) are a daily calorie intake of 1940 calories per day for women and 2550 for men.

How many calories are needed each day can vary greatly depending on lifestyle and other factors.

Factors that affect your personal daily calorie needs include your age, height and weight, your basic level of daily activity, and your body composition.

Here is my Calorie breakdown: