Making Calories Work for You, Not Against You

Making Calories Work for You, Not Against You

When many women even hear the word “calorie” red flags start flapping, and buzzers start going off, because may women fear that “calorie” means “weight gain”. Actually, this idea isn’t true. A calorie is first and foremost a measurement of how much energy a substance has.

Just as cars need gasoline to run their engines, people need calories to run their bodies. There are only four sources of calories in our diet, carbonhydrates, protein, fat and alcohol. Of these, our bodies are designed to use carbonhdyrate for most of our energy needs. Protein is used mainly as a builder of muscle, enzymes or hormones. Fat is used for storing calories, it is also a source of fat- soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Alcohol is essentially good for nothing: Your body considers it a toxic substance and tries to get rid of it or metobolize it as quickly as possible. When consumed in excess of your energy needs, alcohol calories are converted to body fat.

To keep your body fueled with energy, not only do you need the right number of calories, but you also need the right type of calories- that is, mostly carbonhdyrates. And you need these calories to hit your bloodstream at the right times.