Calories in food

high calorie food

No one can live long without food. One reason why is that our bodies must have fuel. The foods we eat serve as fuel. They burn slowly in our bodies and furnish the heat and energy we need to keep us alive. The fuel value of a food is measured in calories. The word "calorie" comes from the Latin word meaning "heat."

Some foods furnish much more heat and energy than other foods do. The fuel value of a slice of watermelon, for instance, is only about 100 calories. But the fuel value of a piece of chocolate meringue pie is about 450 calories.

Boys and girls use up so much energy that they need a great deal of fuel food. If they are from 9 to 12 years old, they need about 2,500 calories a day. If they do not get that many, some of their body f at burns up. If there is no fat, some of their body cells burn up instead.

Foods that furnish the most calories are not always the best for us. We must think not only of calories, but of other things, too, in choosing what we eat.