But what exactly a calorie really is remained a question. Scientist that I am, I consulted with the Webster family, and their consensus was that it's the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. No math whiz, I consulted with an expert who calculated that one teaspoon holds about 9 grams. Personally, I don't think my consultants gave me truly useful knowledge, but a nutrition expert such as myself really should know what a calorie is, and now after my extensive research, I'm proud to announce that I do-and so do you. Use it to impress your friends when there's a pause in the conversation.
Carbohydrates are either simple like sugar, or complex like starch.
They have 4 calories per gram of food. Similarly, foods that are proteins, like meats of all types, eggs and dairy products, also have 4 calories per gram. Food labels and nutritionists will tell you that fat has 9 calories in a gram, over twice that of carbs and proteins. There is good evidence, however, that the human body can get up to 11 calories per gram of fat. The bottom line is that calories give us energy.