In my inaugural blog, I invited everyone to embrace nutrition as a resolution for life with an overview on the basics.

I anticipated the next question – but how much to eat? Again, knowing the key concepts is necessary. Let us begin with energy value of foods, the concept of calories. Calorie is a measurement of energy from food, just like kilometers for distance and kilogram for weights. One gram of carbohydrate or a gram of protein both gives four calories. A gram of fat gives nine calories. That is why fat is a concentrated energy source. Lesser known fact is that alcohol contains more calories than food; seven calories for each gram (but lacks other nutrients!) Dietary fibers on the other hand give only two calories per gram explaining why fiber rich foods are not only filling but help in weight management also.

Energy and other nutrients are needed to sustain life and perform essential functions. But there has to be a balance in quality, and quantity... — blog.embracegoodnutrition.com/blogs