Are all calories created equal?

I get the whole being & eating healthy thing, I do.  I understand how to do it and why to do and I try to eat a balanced diet.  I am in the middle, not a super healthy eater, but not all junk either.  I am definitely trying to eat healthier than I used but mostly I have to concentrate on eating less of the high calorie stuff that I love.

But my question is does your body metabolize all calories the same?  Does it matter where the calorie comes from?  Forgetting for a moment that to lose weight the less fat and sugar you eat the better, for weight loss, (if you stay under your target calories for the day) does it matter if the calories come from sugar, fat or carbs?

This is mostly a curiousity thing, I would never try to get all my calories from one group as opposed to another, just like I would never completely eliminate one group either.

Yes and no (yeah get answer, right?)

Well, your body does treat calories differently in the why the are metabolized and how quicky. Sugar goes in the bloodstream lightning quick, but fat and protein are slower. Also, the body has to convert protein and fat into carbs before they can be used for energy. Also, protein and fat have other uses in the body than just energy (buliding muscle, enzymes, cells, etc.) whereas carbs are used strictly for energy. This makes carbs a much more effecient source of energy than protein or fat, and calories are actually burned to convert protein into usuable energy, but not a really substantial amount.

When it comes to weight gain/loss, however, the difference is not really that significant, because your body can interconvert carbs, fat, and protein fairly well, at least for energy purposes (your body can't produce all the types of fats it needs, nor all the proteins, which is why it's important not to cut one group out), so in that sense, the calories are equal

Well I guess you are a "smart jock".  Thank you very much for the response.  You answered my question perfectly and in a way that I can understand.

Thanks!

A calorie is a unit of energy so, yes, they're all equal.  But different foods have different qualities and do different things for the same number of calories.  If person 1's daily 2000 cal diet mostly consists of hamburgers, fries and milkshakes they'd be eating a lot less bulk and a lot less nutrition than person 2 who derived their 2000 cals mostly from fruit, vegetables & grains.   Person 1 is more likely to still be hungry at the end of their 2000 cals than Person 2.  They're also more likely to be malnourished.

I don't know how much more I can really contribute to this, but being married to a doctor gives me a daily lecture on NUTRITION over calories practically every day. Here's what I've picked up... Sure a calorie is a calorie is a unit of energy, therefore, your body will get the same amount 'energy' from 10 teaspoons of olive oil vs. 25 heads of lettuce, but its not getting everything else it needs. I think the same is true with the burgers and fries, the body isn't getting what I needs from ground beef, treated flour bread and fried mashed potatoes. 

The body needs more chemicals than you could imagine... Sodium & potassium directly control how your body regulates heart rate for example... The body needs zinc / calcium / [insert more here] as well as really whacky crap like arachidonic acid (found in peanuts and SPIDER BLOOD!). What does it all do with this stuff? Well I think 8 years of intensive biology education will give you some answers, but not all of them. Cells need to eat; hormones need to flow, bones need to rebuild etc. 

So what's the point of this mini lecture? Mostly to remind you to keep nutrition your number one objective over calories. I really believe its a cents-to-dollars analogy. (treat your cents like your dollars and your money will take care of itself?) If you really endeavor to maintain quality nutrition, you will probably be eating low calorie food. Of course this isn't an axiom. Its confusing, so, I would just let Calorie Count do the counting for you. Keep your salt under the amount it suggests, keep your fats where it suggests and try to always get an A!

 

A calorie is a calorie, but yes it matters where it comes from. When it comes from fat it'll put on weight more than something that comes from protein. A good guide is if more than half the cals come from fat, it's a no no. You do need fat so obviously you'll get cals from that, but i think for the most part if you count your daily fat AND daily cals and keep them both in check then you should be fine.

A calorie of gasoline would be digested differently than a calorie of carrot.

I think what you're asking is - are all foods created equal?