Davis County Clipper | 1983-03-30 | Page 22 | The Kilogram Calorie

The Kilogram Calorie By HAROLD B. LIGON, MD The calorie we all know (and love) is actually termed a kilogram kilo-gram calorie, or a kilocalorie, and it is defined in the medical dictionary as "the amount of heat required to raise the temperature tem-perature of one kilogram of water one degree Centigrade." Centig-rade." THAT'S highly technical, but for our general purposes we can define a calorie as a unit of heat from which a certain amount of our body's energy is derived. In this terminology we can therefore relate the role of calories in meeting the physical phy-sical demands of our bodies. As most of us know, calories enter into our lives through our mouths. They are the source of energy derived from the fats, carbohydrates, and Droteins that comprise our daily diets. IN AN average healthy and normal adult, each pound he weights calls for 15 calories daily in order to stay there. Therefore, a 100 pound adult needs 1500 calories daily to function and maintain his weight. Similarly, a 200 pound- ; j er needs 3000 calories to do the same. These calories should come from balanced fats, car-bohydrates, car-bohydrates, and proteins, if rather than from a single ' source, such as ice cream, desserts, de-sserts, etc.