The calorific value of food is an essential factor used to identify the amount of energy an item of food will provide, how much should be eaten, and many other things.
This is more prominently seen in various diets and meal plans as the calorific value defines how much weight you are gaining or losing. For example, on a weight-gaining diet, knowing the calorific value of food is essential to maintain a high-calorie diet that will allow an individual to store more energy than they burn. This, in turn, will transfer into fat or muscle, depending on the individual’s physical activity.
What is the Calorific Value of Food
The calorific value of food is the amount of heat energy that consumption of the food produces in the human body. This takes place during the process of metabolism and is a prominent reason for the importance of the calorific value of food. When broken down, this energy is then used by people to carry out their regular functions and activities.
The calorific value of food is measured in Kilocalories and is essential for various reasons. Apart from this, each food item has its calorific values, which can range from as little as 0-1 Kilocalories per gram to even 50 kilocalories per gram. Knowing this calorific value is also an important part of answering the question of, what is the importance of nutritional value.
Effect of High/Low Caloric Value
The most prominent importance of the calorific value of food is for the nutrition and health of humans. This is because knowing it helps people identify how many calories they are ingesting. Subsequently, the amount of calories consumed defines how much energy a person has which can be used for daily activities but also control weight loss and weight gain.
This is primarily seen when an individual ingests more or fewer calories than they are able to burn in a day through activities and exercise. It is commonly referred to as either a situation of calorie deficit or surplus.
Calorie Deficit (Lower Calories Ingested Than Burned)
A calorie deficit is a situation in which you are consuming fewer calories than burned in a day. For example, if an individual is burning 2,000 calories per day through their daily activities and consuming only 1,800 calories, they are in a calorie deficit of 200 calories. This situation is often done by people who want to lose weight or cannot eat a sufficient amount of food.
In a calorie deficit diet, the excess amount of calories burned are taken from the body’s fat or muscle storage. Due to this, weight is lost in some form. It can improve the physique of a person if protein intake is kept high.
Calorie Surplus (Higher Calories Ingested Than Burned)
On the other hand, the opposite of a calorie deficit is a calorie surplus. In this situation, an individual is ingesting more calories than they are burning through normal functioning and exercise. This is often done by people who want to gain weight or build muscle.
In a calorie surplus, the excess energy produced by the body is stored in the form of either fat or muscle. This is dependent on the type of physical activity a person is performing. For example, a person exercising their muscles regularly should be able to store this excess caloric value in the form of muscle but this is also affected by the nutritional composition of food.
What Is The Importance Of Nutritional Value
One question that follows the importance of the caloric value of food is, ‘what is the importance of nutritional value?’ Nutritional value refers to the constituents of a particular food item and the amount of nutrition it provides for our body. This value is divided into various parts such as minerals, fats, proteins, etc. with each having its own role in the body.
So, along with managing the caloric value, controlling the number of nutrients ingested is also important to stay healthy. For example, eating too many fats with minimal protein can lead to a loss of muscle and growth in fat levels. While this might be alright to an extent, it can lead to health problems if overdone.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the calorific value of food is an important value that is used by people for various health and diet-related purposes. Not only does this define the amount of energy your body has for its physical tasks, but it can also control your weight loss or gain depending on how many calories you are ingesting.