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A new way of thinking is gathering momentum. According to some scientists and nutrition experts, there’s more to losing and gaining weight – and staying healthy – than simple numbers. Emerging evidence suggests not all calories are created equal as far as our metabolism is concerned. In other words, certain foods are more likely to cause weight gain than others, even if they contain the same number of calories. What’s more, some experts in the treatment of obesity now believe that calorie-counting is an outdated approach that doesn’t work and overshadows the importance of good nutrition. They point to the growing obesity crisis and rise in weight-related health problems that have occurred while calorie-counting has been the cornerstone of official weight management advice.
WHAT EXACTLY ARE CALORIES?
The human body needs energy for breathing and organ function right through to working out at the gym. This energy comes from food and drink and is measured in calories. (Confusingly, what we think of as calories are officially known as kilocalories, or kcals, and this is how they appear on food labels.)
The system of measuring food energy in calories was devised in the late 19th century by American nutritionist Wilbur Olin Atwater. He worked out the calorie content of different foods by burning them in a sealed container and measuring the heat released. It emerged that one gram of fat contains around nine calories, while a gram of protein and carbohydrate each contain around four calories. Alcohol contains around seven calories per gram.