Edibles & Potables: Is it time to get rid of calorie counts on menus?
Photo credit: Everything about Calculating Calories.
If you’re calculating calories — and far be it from my aim today to suggest you should or should not — then we must heed the advice of the ancient philosopher and define our term. Live Science offers a simple starting explanation.
A calorie is a unit of energy. Historically, scientists have defined “calorie” to mean a unit of energy or heat that could come from a variety of sources, such as coal or gas. In a nutritional sense, all types of food — whether they are fats, proteins, carbohydrates or sugars — are important sources of calories, which people need to live and function.
“Our brains, our muscles — every cell in our body — require energy to function in its optimal state,” said Jennifer McDaniel, a registered nutritionist dietitian in Clayton, Missouri, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “So for one, we...Read more