Calories in food: definition, breakdown table & tips

Calories: a key role in the functioning of the body

What are calories?

Calories are the unit of measurement of the energy our body can get from the food we eat. It's a well-known concept in the world of slimming and nutrition.

In everyday language, we talk about ‘calories’, but in reality the unit referred to is the kilocalorie (or 1,000 calories).

Calories come mainly from macronutrients:

• carbohydrates (4 kcal/g);
• proteins (4 kcal/g);
• lipids (9 kcal/g).

One calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius (1).

What are calories used for?

In biological terms, calories enable cells to carry out their functions, so that the body functions properly.

They are essential for the functioning of the heart, lungs and brain, but also for maintaining body temperature and for physical activity.

What are the calorie requirements for different people?

Daily calorie requirements vary according to age, sex, level of physical activity and a person's specific needs (growth, pregnancy, illness, convalescence, etc.).

As a guide:

• A sedentary woman needs between 1800 and 2000 kcal/day.
• A sedentary man needs between 2000 and 2200 kcal/day.
• An active woman needs between 2000 and 2200 kcal/day.
• An active man needs between 2400 and 2800 kcal/day.
• A pregnant or breastfeeding woman needs around 500 kcal/day more than usual.
• Teenagers need between 2200 and 3000 kcal depending on their sex and level of activity.
• An elderly person needs between 1600 and 2000 kcal depending on their level of activity.

Table of calories in food (per 100 g)

Category	Food/Drink	Average calories (per 100 g)
Fruit	Apple	52 kcal
	Banana	89 kcal
	Cherries	50 kcal
	Strawberries	33 kcal
	Mango	60 kcal
Vegetables	Carrot (raw)	41 kcal
	Green beans, cooked	28 kcal
	Broccoli	34 kcal
	Cauliflower	25 kcal
	Avocado	160 kcal
	Radish	16 kcal
	Cucumber	15 kcal
Meat / Fish	Chicken breast (grilled)	160 kcal
	Minced beef 15% fat (cooked)	240 kcal
	Salmon (grilled)	185 kcal
	White ham (pork)	125 kcal
	Bacon	155 kcal
Starches	White rice (cooked)	130 kcal
	Potatoes (steamed)	90 kcal
	Pasta (cooked)	135 kcal
	White bread	265 kcal
Dairy products	Whole milk	70 kcal
	Semi-skimmed milk	46 kcal
	Plain yoghurt	60 kcal
	Emmental cheese	370 kcal
Drinks (100 g = approx. 100 ml)	Water/tea/coffee (unsweetened)	0 kcal
	Orange juice (processed)	45 kcal
	Fizzy drinks (Coca-Cola, Orangina, etc.)	42 kcal
	Strong alcohol	250 kcal
	Beer	43 kcal
Processed foods	Pizza (processed)	250-300 kcal
	Chips (plain)	530 kcal
	Chocolate bars (Mars, Lion, Twix, etc.)	450-480 kcal
Fats	Butter / margarine	720 kcal
	Olive oil	885 kcal
Condiments	Homemade mayonnaise	720 kcal
	Olive oil vinaigrette	650 kcal
	Mustard	66 kcal

There's more to a balanced diet than counting calories!

Nutritional density: an essential concept

Calories give an indication of the energy provided by a food, but in no way reflect the nutritional quality of the product consumed.

Two foods with equivalent calorie content can have very different effects on health.

This is where the concept of nutritional density comes in:

• A food is said to be ‘nutritionally dense’ if it provides numerous micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.) for a moderate amount of calories (2).
• A food has a low nutritional density when it is high in calories but low in essential nutrients, as is often the case with ultra-processed foods.

For example

200 kcal of crisps contain a lot of saturated fat, too much salt and few micronutrients of interest to the body. Conversely, 200 kcal of almonds are a source of good fats, fibre, vegetable protein and vitamins and minerals, including magnesium.

What is the satiety-inducing effect of food?

Satiety plays a key role in the natural regulation of appetite.

Fibre-rich foods (vegetables, legumes, fruit, wholegrain cereals) slow down digestion and prolong the feeling of fullness (3). And yet they are generally low in calories!

Proteins have a natural appetite-suppressant effect (4) and help maintain muscle mass.

On the other hand, quick sugars (sugary drinks, pastries, refined products) cause blood sugar peaks followed by cravings, encouraging snacking and weight gain. Not only are these foods often very high in calories, they also encourage you to eat more, without actually doing anything good for your body.

How do you adopt a balanced diet?

Respect the body's needs

To maintain a balanced diet, it's essential not to focus solely on calories.

It's important to respect hunger and satiety signals. On a daily basis, choose foods with a low glycaemic index (generally rich in complex carbohydrates) that are also high in fibre, protein and useful micronutrients.

This is what micronutrition is all about: a qualitative approach to diet, centred on micronutrients and the body's real needs.

Supplements to support your diet

Focusing on thermogenesis

Thermogensis is a physiological process where the human body produces heat by burning calories or energy stored as fat.

It can do this for a variety of reasons: to maintain body temperature, to digest food after a meal, and so on.

Certain factors can stimulate this energy expenditure slightly: cold, physical activity or certain natural compounds.

Studies have shown, for example, that capsaicin, an active ingredient in red chilli peppers, could help increase the calories burned each day during thermogenesis (5). This is why it is often found in formulas dedicated to weight maintenance or weight loss.

Discover the Metadrine™ dietary supplement including the patented CapsiMax red pepper extract.

Promoting a balanced intestinal microbiota

Lactobacillus gasseri is a well-documented probiotic strain that contributes to a balanced intestinal microbiota.

A healthy microbiota plays an important role in many physiological functions.

In addition, a number of scientific publications have looked into the possible link between the presence of the Lactobacillus gasseri strain and the regulation of body weight (6).

Since this strain has good resistance, it is often used in the formulation of probiotic food supplements.

Discover Lactobacillus Gasseri food supplement capsules containing 12 billion microorganisms per dose.

Maintaining muscle mass with proteins

People who engage in regular or even intensive physical activity have higher energy requirements.

To prevent the body from drawing energy from the muscles, they need to ensure that they consume sufficient protein, which provides the amino acids essential for building muscle.

Among food supplements for sportspeople, whey is often used to help maintain and develop muscle mass, without providing too many calories (7). It comes in the form of a powder that can easily be diluted to enrich meals.

Discover the Native Whey Protein Isolate food supplement, guaranteed flavour-free, sugar-free and colouring-free.