Is a Calorie a Calorie?

[elleng]

A food isn’t a food — they’re all different — but since a calorie is just a measurement of energy, how can it vary? When I asked my question, Nestle’s answer was confounding: “Yes and no,” she said, adding, “It’s Talmudic.” Because calories change as they enter the body, the nine grams for fat and four for everything else turn out to be not very accurate measures at all; besides, foods are only rarely one thing or another.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/is-a-calorie-a-calorie/?hp

[hobbit709]

1. Everyone knows the calories in chocolate don't count.

[elleng]

2. OH YEA!!!!

Gotta go + get some NOW!!!

[eridani]

3. What needs to go is this idiotic notion--

--that human metabolism is a bank account. It is a complex multilayered feedback system which tends toward homeostasis.

[elleng]

4. Might be 'idiotic'

if we think people really think of the human metabolism as a bank account, but most don't think of it in such simplistic terms, imo. Most of us recognize SOMETHING of the complexity, and are probably surprised about the EXTREME complexity.

[eridani]

5. People who post in a Cooking and Baking group are just about certain to know better

I don't find this to be true of the general public, though.

[pscot]

6. Actually, raw foods are most often one thing or another

The mystery arises when you open a package of prepared food.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Do they still measure calories by...

burning food and weighing it before and after? That's very simplistic and just gives a relative idea of how many calories are in a food.

All calories are NOT equal. Calories from carbs get burned up immediately, while fat calories get stored for when needed. Well, that's the way it's supposed to be, but since we're rarely starving like we were 150,000 years ago, both of them tend to go straight to our bellies or asses and and get stored. About 25% of the calories from protein get converted to carbs and end up wherever they end up. That's if it's a complete protein and all bets are off if it's an incomplete vegetable protein. And so it goes, so counting calories is a loser from the start.

In the long run, if you average usable calories eaten with activity, you more or less maintain your weight-- depending on you age and sex and if your metabolism doesn't change. But, with damn near a week's worth of calories in a triple bacon cheeseburger with humongo fries and drink and an apple pie, or that cheesecake you had for dessert after the rack of babybacks and bowl of mac & cheese you had at home, it's tough to maintain that balance.

[HopeHoops]

8. Absolutely not. Calories are good if they come from energy sources, but bad if from butt-builders.

The same is true with fats. You have to consider the type and source of the fat.