All foods, except water, supply calories, which our bodies need, and all calories are now counted in calories (Calorie). A calorie is the amount of heat used to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

The body needs calories for three main purposes:

1. To maintain the body's basic metabolism (Basal Metabolism). For example, to maintain our respiration, digestion, nutrient absorption and other tissues in the body.

2. Calories are needed for our activities, such as walking, standing, sitting, and running every day, which simply means that every action requires calories. People with high activity levels need more calories, such as manual labor old, while clerical workers need fewer calories.

3. Calories are needed for growth, so developing children, adolescents, pregnant women and breastfeeding women, need more calories.

The speed of Basal Metabolism varies from person to person, but there are some factors that affect its speed, some of which are listed below.

1. Age Young people have a higher basal metabolic rate than older people. The basal metabolism is faster in childhood, levels off a little after about five years of age, then accelerates again in adolescence, then slowly recedes in adulthood, and is slowest in old age. These are all due to the growth period, protein in the body to build and metabolism rate faster, and affect the basal metabolic rate increase.

2. Gender

Women's basal metabolism is lower than men's, mainly because women have more body fat than men. If a man and a woman weigh the same, a woman's body fat may be 10% or more higher than a man's.

Basal metabolism is lower in women than in men.

Basal metabolism is based on muscle activity in the body, which is lower in women because they have less muscle than men. If only the muscle activity in the body is counted regardless of gender, the basal metabolism should be the same.

3. Weather Cold weather usually increases the basal metabolic rate because the body needs more calories to maintain its temperature. The main reason why many people gain weight in winter is because they are less active or eat more food. For example, in winter, many people like to eat hot pot, barbecue, or have a big meal, etc., these foods have a higher calorie content than the general food in summer.

4, body shape The basal metabolic rate of tall people is higher, because the body's muscle mass, relatively more than small people, and muscle activity will affect the basal metabolism.

5. Thermogenesis After we eat, our basal metabolism will automatically increase, and the body will consume more calories. Basal metabolism is highest about one hour after eating, and then slowly decline, until two hours after the retreat to normal. For this reason, some people are advocating smaller meals to burn calories in the body. But this has little effect on the basal metabolic rate, so the role in weight loss is not significant, but certainly better than eating only one meal a day.

6. Exercise The body's basal metabolism increases after exercise, but the medical profession has yet to understand why. In the 12 to 18 hours after exercise, its basal metabolism is still higher than usual. It is not ideal for the health of the general public who do not like to do exercise.

7. During pregnancy and lactation, the basal metabolism increases, mainly due to the faster construction and metabolism of proteins in the body.

Adults have a basal calorie count of about 1,200 kilocalories, and the average life (without physical activity and sports) requires 2,000 kilocalories a day.