"Is Butter a Carb?"

I'm sure many of us know that famous quote from Regina George in "Mean Girls" in which she asks Cady if butter is a carbohydrate.

She also goes on an "all-natural" juice diet, which is essentially all carbohydrates, with concentrated raspberry juice.

NO, Regina...NO. Butter is NOT a carbohydrate, it is actually 100 percent fat and a "juice" diet is probably the worst idea anyone has ever had.

This, friends, is the note that this amazing health blog is going to begin on, because believe it or not - many people haven't the slightest clue about carbohydrates, or nutrition, in general!

So, let's begin with a few facts about Carbohydrates:

• 1 gram of carbohydrates is equal to 4 calories.
• • This means that it takes your body 4 calories of energy to burn off this 1 gram of carbohydrate.
• There are carbohydrates in almost everything. They can primarily be found in:
• • Bread, sugar, vegetables, sweets, juices, and fruits.

There are 2 other main nutrients that the body requires:

• Protein. 1 gram of protein is also equal to 4 calories.
• • Found in meat, eggs, cheese, and protein powders.
• Fat. 1 gram of fat is equal to 9 calories.
• • Found in everything that doesn't say "fat free" - and it's delicious...awfully delicious.

So, how many of these "calories" do you need? Well, that can be complicated.

One of the best tools to calculate this magical number - which is different for every single one of us - can be found on Bodybuilding.com:

• http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Now that you know that number, you're going to need to keep track! Here at Moravian College, the food services are provided by Sodexo. Therefore, the nutrition calculations are already provided at:

• http://balancemindbodysoul.com/balance/campus.asp

So, this short lesson was just one building block in the tower of health and nutrition! Come back Thursday for an update about how to make better food choices based on your goals at Moravian College!

XOXO,

Ms. Wisely