WELLNESS HABIT 9

RIGHT AMOUNT OF FUEL FOR A HEALTHY YOU!

 

Your body has a constant demand for energy and uses the calories from food as energy to keep you functioning. Learning how much fuel your body actually needs is an important skill for becoming, and staying healthy. Energy is provided by carbohydrates, fats and proteins and is measured in either calories or kilojoules. Once calorie equals 4.2 kJ.  Carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories/gram of energy (about 17 kJ), fats provide 9 calories/gram of energy (about 37 kJ) and alcohol provides 7 calories/gram of energy (about 29 kJ).

​

Regardless of where calories come from, calories you eat and drink are either converted to physical energy or stored within your body as fat. Unless you use these stored calories, either by reducing your intake so that your body must draw on the fat reserve for energy, or by increasing physical energy, so that you burn more calories, these calories will remain within your body. 

​

Become a Warriors Own Wellness member to understand how much fuel your body actually needs. Learn what this amount looks like in real food that you like to eat and drink. You need to eat less than this amount if you want to lose weight.  If you eat more than this amount of calories, you will put on weight. Apart from the health benefits, learning how to only eat your share of food is also good for the planet and your fellow humans. Everyone has a better chance of having enough food to eat if each of us learn how to only take the amount our bodies need and we do not waste what we have (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations www.fao.org).

​