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Something that has always bother me is why poo is not part of the equation. Do feces have no calories ?
by huherto 12y ago
Something that has always bother me is why poo is not part of the equation. Do feces have no calories ?
- wutbrodo 12y agoMy understanding is that the Calories in each bit of food are intended to be "the amount of energy you absorb" (on average, I guess? in the same way that averages are used for how many you burn when exercising). So a better synonym than "energy" for Calories as used in nutrition might be "usable energy" (excluding the energy content of the food that you poo out).
- toomuchtodo 12y agoFeces is composed of material your body could not break down into usable nutrients, combined with materials your body is attempting to excrete.
- kondro 12y agoCombined with approximately 50% by mass of bacteria.
- Sophistifunk 12y agoYes. And the efficiency of "food calories - shit calories" varies wildly between individuals and across time for individuals. The number of calories you see in a food database is calculated based on how well a few macronutrients literally burn in a lab setting. All it tells us is a way to compare input values, not usage or output.