What is a kcal compared to a calorie

The amount of energy in an item of food or drink is measured in calories.

When we eat and drink more calories than we use up, our bodies store the excess as body fat. If this continues, over time we may put on weight.

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight.

For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day.

These values can vary depending on age, size and levels of physical activity, among other factors.

Check if you're a healthy weight by using our body mass index (BMI) calculator

Our bodies need energy to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally.

When we eat and drink, we put energy into our bodies. Our bodies use up that energy through everyday movement, which includes everything from breathing to running.

To maintain a stable weight, the energy we put into our bodies must be the same as the energy we use through normal bodily functions and physical activity.

An important part of a healthy diet is balancing the energy you put into your bodies with the energy you use.

For example, the more physical activity we do, the more energy we use.

If you consume too much energy on 1 day, do not worry. Just try to take in less energy on the following days.

Knowing the calorie content of food and drink can help ensure you're not consuming too much.

The calorie content of many shop-bought foods is stated on the packaging as part of the nutrition label.

This information will appear under the "Energy" heading. The calorie content is often given in kcals, which is short for kilocalories, and also in kJ, which is short for kilojoules.

A kilocalorie is another word for what's commonly called a calorie, so 1,000 calories will be written as 1,000kcals.

Kilojoules are the metric measurement of calories. To find the energy content in kilojoules, multiply the calorie figure by 4.2.

The label will usually tell you how many calories are contained in 100 grams or 100 millilitres of the food or drink, so you can compare the calorie content of different products.

Many labels will also state the number of calories in 1 portion of the food.

But remember that the manufacturer's idea of 1 portion may not be the same as yours, so there could be more calories in the portion you serve yourself.

You can use the calorie information to assess how a particular food fits into your daily calorie intake.

There's a wide range of online calorie counters for computers and mobile phones. Many of these can be downloaded and used for free.

The NHS cannot verify their data, but they can be helpful to track your calories by recording all of the food you eat in a day.

Some restaurants put calorie information on their menus, so you can also check the calorie content of foods when eating out.

Calories should be given per portion or per meal.

Find out more about food labels

The amount of calories people use by doing a certain physical activity varies, depending on a range of factors, including size and age.

The more vigorously you do an activity, the more calories you'll use. For example, fast walking will burn more calories than walking at a moderate pace.

If you're gaining weight, it could mean you have been regularly eating and drinking more calories than you have been using.

To lose weight, you need to use more energy than you consume, and continue this over a period of time.

Get used to counting calories

The best approach is to combine diet changes with increased physical activity.

Find out how much physical activity you should be doing

If you need help losing weight, why not try the free NHS 12-week weight loss plan.

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A kilocalorie (kcal) is the total amount of energy that is required in order to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius at one atmosphere of pressure. The kilocalorie is still used in chemistry. For example, it is used to indicate the amount of energy that is released in a reaction of 1 mole of a reagent.

The metric equivalent of the kilocalorie is the kilojoule. There are 4.184 kilojoules (kj) in 1 kilocalorie. The kilocalorie is what is recorded and placed on food labels as a measure of the energy content of a particular type of food.

However on food labels it is often written as Calories (calories written with an uppercase C). These Calories are not the same as scientific calories but are actually kilocalories, which is why they are written with an uppercase C.

The convention that is used for recording kilocalories on food labels is therefore to use an upper case on the word calories, so remember that when you see Calories it actually refers to kilocalories.

Some countries do however, record kilojoules instead of Calories on their food labels. Kilocalories in the past were calculated by using a bomb calorimeter in which the food was completely burnt, allowing for an indirect estimate based on how much the temperature of water was raised as a result of the heat generated by the burning.

Today they use the Atwater system which is based on the energy of individual components of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins which make up food items. This is based on the knowledge that fats (lipids) have about nine Calories per gram, while carbohydrates and proteins have about four Calories per gram in each case.

A kilocalorie is equal to 1000 calories. This means that to calculate how many calories you have based on kilocalories you simply multiply by 1000. For example 6 kilocalories would then be equal to 6000 calories.

People are concerned with Calories because if a person consumes more dietary calories than they need or can use up, then they can end up gaining more weight. Different forms of exercise use different amounts of dietary calories so people may diet and start an exercise program to help lose weight.

There are recommendations as to how many Calories a person should consume per day. An athlete would need to consume more Calories than a person living a more sedentary life.

What is a kcal compared to a calorie

What is cal?

A calorie (cal) is the total amount of energy that is required in order to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1 degree Celsius at one atmosphere pressure.

The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of water is also referred to as the specific heat of water. The calorie was defined as a way to measure energy by means of heat.

It takes 1000 calories to make 1 kilocalorie thus to determine kilocalories you would divide by 1000. For example 5500 calories would be equal to 5.5 kilocalories.

After 1924 the calorie was viewed more often in terms of joules, which is considered the unit of energy in the SI system.

In terms of energy, the metric equivalent of calorie is the joule. Thus 1 calorie is equal to approximately 4.184 joules, symbol J. Calorie is thus a way to measure energy.

Although we see calories mentioned on food packages, these actually refer to kilocalories.

Remember when looking at food calories, that since there are 1000 calories in 1 kilocalorie then you can easily convert between the two, so if a food item has 400 kilocalories this means it actually contains 400 000 calories since you multiply 400 by 1000.

Calories are often used in calculations in physics or chemistry. The calorie however is not used when discussing human nutrition and metabolism because it is a very small unit.

This means that it is not very useful when used on food labels or when calculating a person’s basal metabolic rate.

Difference between kcal and cal

A kcal or kilocalorie is 1000 times larger than a calorie. Thus 1 kcal = 1000 calories.

Kilocalorie is the energy that is needed to increase the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1oC while calorie is the energy that is needed to increase the temperature of 1 g of water by 1oC at one atmosphere.

The kilocalorie is also called the food or dietary calorie and is represented as Calorie while the traditional calorie is not usually used as a food or dietary calorie.

Food labels in some countries actually use kcal even though it is called a Calorie. The calorie is not the same as the Calorie.

The metric equivalent of the calorie is the joule (4.184) while for the kilocalorie the metric equivalent is the kilojoule (also 4.184).

Table comparing  kcal and cal

What is a kcal compared to a calorie

Summary of kcal Vs. cal

  • Kilocalorie and calorie are both used as measures of energy however kilocalorie is used far more often.
  • A kilocalorie can be converted to calorie by multiplying by 1000 since there are 1000 calories in 1 kilocalorie.
  • Kilocalorie is used on food labels and when determining basal metabolic rate. It is referred to as a Calorie in these cases, with an uppercase C to differentiate it from the calorie.
  • The calorie is not useful for human diet and metabolic calculations because it is such a small unit of energy.
  • The metric equivalent of calorie is the joule, yet many chemistry labs still use the calorie or kilocalorie when calculating energy during reactions.

Associate Professor of Biology PhD in Quantitative Biology at in United States

Dr. Rae Osborn was educated in South Africa and the United States. She holds Honors Bachelor of Science degrees in Zoology and Entomology, and Masters of Science in Entomology from the University of Natal in South Africa. She has received a PhD in Quantitative Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington as well as an AAS Degree in Information Network Specialist and an AAS in Computer Information Systems, at Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana.Her skills lie in research and writing for a range of educational levels and teaching various Biology classes. She has been trained as a lecturer, researcher and computer scientist. She has experience as a writer, researcher and as a college teacher, and is currently working as a freelance writer and editor.Her accomplishments include receiving tenure and being promoted to Associate Professor of Biology in the United States and publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals.Her hometown is Pietermaritzburg in South Africa where her main interest and hobby is bird watching.


What is a kcal compared to a calorie

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What is a kcal compared to a calorie
What is a kcal compared to a calorie
What is a kcal compared to a calorie
What is a kcal compared to a calorie
What is a kcal compared to a calorie