Kilocalorie to Calorie (IT)

What is Kilocalorie?

The kilocalorie (symbol: kcal) is a unit of energy equal to 1,000 small calories.

It is often referred to as the food calorie or simply a Calorie (with a capital C) in nutritional contexts.

Common Uses

The kilocalorie is the standard unit used globally to represent the energy content of foods and the energy expenditure of physical activity in humans.

What is Calorie (IT)?

The calorie (symbol: cal) is a unit of energy that was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius at a pressure of one atmosphere.

Note that this unit is the “small calorie.” The calorie typically seen on food labels is the “large calorie” or kilocalorie (kcal).

Common Uses

Calories are primarily used in the fields of chemistry and physics. In nutrition, the kilocalorie (often just called “Calorie”) is the standard unit for measuring the energy people get from eating and drinking.