Do You Want To Know How Much Energy Is There In Your Food?

Today’s topic is related to foods and how much energy different foods contain in kilojoules. 

The unit of energy in the foods and drinks are measured by a kilojoule (kJ). Whenever a person consumes certain drinks and foods with the help of kilojoules, you can understand and figure your calories intake. 

This information is really helpful for people who want to lose weight because they can easily keep a check on their calories intake. 

Also, you need to understand that sometimes foods with the highest amount of calories are really low in nutrition. 

Therefore, having foods that are low in calories and more in nutrition is good. So, people who want to lose excess fat should definitely focus on taking more nutrients with fewer calories. 

Also, there are healthy fats that one should consume, but when we talk about health, we talk about nuts and ghee, etc. 

The kilojoule is something that helps to figure out the level of fats, carbs and proteins in your foods. 

When you buy a food product from the market, you can check the kilojoule by reading the nutrition value and ingredients list. 

Foods That are High in kilojoule: 

So, the foods that contain high amounts of calories are foods that contain added sugar and high fats like alcohol and cold drinks, etc. 

Then, the foods that contain lower levels of kilojoules are green fresh vegetables, legumes and fresh fruits. Now, you clearly know why people who want to reduce excess weight are told to have more fruits and green vegetables. However, these types of foods are best for everyone. 

If you go to certain places for having dinner or anything else, it is best to check the menu or foods display tags to understand the kilojoule before you have it. 

This type of measuring energy level in foods and drinks is more common in Australia because over there, the foods and drinks are measured by kilojoules. Just like we measure distance in kilometres, kilojoules helps to measure the energy in the foods and drinks. 

There are other countries also that use kilojoules and some that use calories to measure the energy levels in the foods and drinks. 

Understand the kJ and Calories as well: 

1 kJ = 0.2 Cal

1 Cal = 4.2 kJ

If a person wants to measure the energy levels in the foods and drinks they consume, kilojoule is the solution. 

This could be a healthy way to check how much protein, carbs (sugar and starch), and fats are present in your foods and drinks.

The number of kilojoules also depends upon the serving size, if the serving size is small the energy levels are low compared to a large serving size meal. 

It is important to understand that drinks also contain high levels of kilojoules, even if they are not filling. There are many drinks that are high in kilojoules. 

It is difficult to measure the kilojoules in each food you consume. 

Therefore, just remember a few things like:

  1. Dietary fibers are low in kilojoules. 
  2. There are no kilojoules in water. 
  3. Alcohol and fats are high in kilojoules. 
  4. Carbohydrates and proteins contain moderate levels of kilojoules. 
  5. Fruits, legumes and vegetables contain low levels of kilojoules. 

However, it is also important to understand how much energy you need every day because a bodybuilder needs more kilojoules compared to a writer. 

How many kilojoules you need depends on the following factors: 

  1. Your total weight and height. 
  2. The amount of exercise and physical activity you do in a day.
  3. A male needs more kilojoules compared to a female. So, your sex is also an important factor. 
  4. The percentage of tissues and muscles in simple words, your body composition (muscles mass) is also an important factor. People with high muscle mass burn more calories compared to others. 
  5. Nursing mothers and pregnant women need more kilojoules compared to others. 
  6. Your health condition and genetics play an important role in the number of kilojoules a person needs. 
  7. Your age is another factor that defines the number of kilojoules you need like teenagers and young children need more kilojoules than adults and old age people. 

With age, your energy requirement can change, and therefore you don’t need to think a lot about it. 

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