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Webster's define calories as "a unit of measurement for the amount of energy that is released from food upon oxidation by the body." Your body needs calories as they provide the energy you need to keep moving. However, calories can be evil as unused ones end up in the fat cells in our body. Health experts recommend that in order to maintain a healthy body weight, you should have a caloric intake of about 2000 calories per day if you are a woman and 2500 calories per day if you are a man. If you are on a diet, then women should take in no less than 1200 calories per day and men no less than 1500 calories per day; anything less than that can have negative effects on your health.

WHO COUNTS CALORIES
The majority of the people in today's society who count calories are those who are trying to gain, lose or maintain their weight. Even those who simply would just like to lead a healthy lifestyle will read labels and keep track of their caloric intake.

HOW TO ACTUALLY COUNT CALORIES
If you want to actually keep track of your calories, then what you want to do is first start a log. You can use a piece of paper and a pencil or even an Excel spreadsheet. Then you will want to read labels. Everything you eat should have a label with the nutrients that are contained within the product. If you eat fast food, you can ask for the nutritional information and they will provide it to you. You can record your caloric intake and keep track of your eating habits. This will help you determine if you are overeating, under eating, or just on track. Since we are in the age of technology, the Internet has become our friend. There are numerous sites online that will help you keep track of the calories in the food you eat.

If you were looking at a food label, the calories portion would be the first thing you see. For example, if you are reading the label on a bag of cheddar goldfish, then the calories portion says that there are 140 calories for 55 pieces of goldfish. If you glance over to the next section, then they will provide you with another number, which is calories from fat. That will show you how many of the 140 calories come from fat, which in the case of my cheddar goldfish, there are 45 calories from fat. According to the FDA, if a label reads 40 calories per serving, that is low, 100 calories is moderate, and 400 calories is high. It is important to watch the portion sizes and determine if you are in the correct range for your goal.

CALORIE DRINKS
Beware of foods that are high in calories and you may not even know it. Things like fancy coffee drinks from Starbucks or a Smoothie from Jamba Juice could be half of your recommend daily calories. If you are not a big eater, then you can look into health and protein drinks such as Nestle Carnation Instant Breakfast. They are powder packs that you mix with milk and contain most of your calories and other nutrients such as protein that will help get you through your day.

It is important that if you are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, that you take note of not only calories, but other nutrients as well. Also make sure that you do not risk going below the minimum amount of calories recommended unless otherwise advised by a physician. No matter what your weight goals are, you can always talk to your family doctor or a nutritionist to assist you in creating a healthy diet plan.

There are also tons of resources online:
http://www.cfsan.fda.go v/~dms/foodlab.html#see2
http:/ /www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e ncy/article/001940.htm
http://w ww.sparkpeople.com/
http://www. calorie-count.com/

Learn more about this author, Adina Carter Allen.
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