Aim: What is Nutrition- Calories?

DO NOW: How do you get Fat? What are two types of fat?

Checking Out Calories
Maybe you've seen low-calorie foods or low-calorie dinners on menus before. Some candy and soda commercials advertise that they have just one calorie. But what is a calorie, anyway?
A calorie (say: cal-er-ee) is a measure of how much energy the nutrients protein, carbohydrate, and fat can supply your body. When you eat food, your body uses the food as fuel, burning it to produce energy, or calories. Every person's body needs energy to function. Whether your body is doing things you don't even think about, like pumping blood or blinking, or doing things you plan, like walking a dog or blowing bubbles, you always need calories!
Some types of nutrients have more calories than others. When you eat foods with protein, every gram of protein gives you four calories (a gram weighs about the same as the amount of sugar that's in a packet at a restaurant). Same deal with carbohydrates: when you eat foods with carbohydrates, your body burns the food as fuel and gives you four calories for every gram of carbohydrate. And fat gets its reputation for being fattening because when your body burns it, you end up with nine calories for every gram of fat! That's more than twice the amount!

1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein, so:
8 grams X 4 calories = 32 calories from protein (that's 32 calories for you from the animal who says moo!)
1/2 cup of cooked spaghetti has 17 grams of carbohydrate, so:
17 grams X 4 calories = 68 calories from carbohydrate (use your noodle and eat spaghetti for lots of energy!)
1 order of "large fries" from your favorite fast-food restaurant has 22 grams of fat, so:
22 grams X 9 calories = 198 calories from fat (uh-oh, what's that? Lots of calories from fat!)
Group questions to answer.
What are Calories?


How many calories for a gram of Fat?


How many calories for a gram of protein?


How many calories for a gram of carbohydrates