calorie
[ KAL-uh-ree ]
A unit measuring the energy value of foods, calibrated by the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by one degree
CELSIUS at a pressure of one atmosphere. The four sources from which calories are obtained are
ALCOHOL,
CARBOHYDRATES,
FATS and
PROTEINS, however all these sources are not equal. For example, fat packs a hefty 9 calories per gram, over twice as much as the 4 calories per gram carried by both
CARBOHYDRATEs and
PROTEINS.
ALCOHOL has 7 calories per gram, almost as many as fat. Clearly,
FATS and
ALCOHOL have a much higher caloric density than
CARBOHYDRATEs and
PROTEINS, so it's obvious that a 6-ounce serving of steak will be much more expensive calorically than 6 ounces of cauliflower.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S
COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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