Repeating something over and again is a sure way to make it into the history books. Take, for example, one of the greatest tormentors known to mankind: the dreaded calorie. The term “calorie” was introduced into the lexicon by way of France in 1819 as a unit of measurement of thermal energy. It was only decades later, in 1897, that American chemist Wilbur Olin Atwater applied it to nutrition in a series of experiments. Why did he choose this specific word? It was the only one in the dictionary. Or, more accurately, it was the only one that described unit energy.
Whole industries have been created around the concept of counting calories. From books and videos, to retreats and professional dieticians, calories are big business. Fitbit, the smartwatch that counts calories, racked up over $1.5 billion in sales last year alone. Scientists, however, are insistent that it’s high time to kill the calorie! There are several reasons for this movement. First and foremost, the popular perception of a calorie is flawed. A Tic Tac isn’t less than 2 calories, it’s less than 2 thousand calories. What is really meant when referring to calories is actually kilocalories.
One calorie is equal to the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. When it was first introduced, it was applied to heat engines. In order to be applied to edible objects, it is necessary to burn the food and see how much heat it produces. Some have pointed out that the body doesn’t work like that. There are food molecules that, when consumed, can accurately be described as providing energy that will be “burned”; on the other hand, many food molecules are absorbed in different ways, such as fueling the chemical reactions necessary for the production of hormones.
The main reason for the dethroning of the almighty calorie is simply a matter of consensus. In 1960, a couple of smart fellows decided to list the most accurate, up-to-date units of measurements, and calories didn’t make the cut. In it’s place, the International System of Units (SI) recommends joules to measure heat, power and energy. You’d be hard pressed to find a nutrition label that acknoweledges joules in the United States- it joins Liberia and Myanmar as the only three countries that have yet to adopt SI units. Throughout the world, however, the conversion to joules is underway and you’re likely to find joules and calories side by side on the label.
Though you may be consuming joules, you don’t “burn” joules. When the potential energy of joules is expended through physical activity it’s correct to describe that usage of energy in terms of wattage. A watt is a unit of power and, in physics, power is the amount of work being done. One watt equals the usage of one joule in one second.
So how many watts was that bike ride through the park? The swrm app has got you covered! Not only does the app make it possible to estimate the amount of watts you used driving to work, but it also lets you know the energy consumed if you decide to take a walk instead. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times, “Knowledge is power” and, as just pointed out, power in physics refers to an action.
swrm aims to empower our users. We give you all the information you need to know about your energy footprint. With that information, you can confidently take actions that will have an effect. Bit by bit, step by step: that’s how a journey of a thousand miles is accomplished. We are proud to offer a platform that helps you decide whether you want to make that journey by car, train, subway, bike or foot. You’ve got the power.
We are also proud to have a hand in overthrowing the tyrannous rule of the wretched calorie! And just to bring the point home, that calories have no place in the modern world, the swrm app allows you to estimate your energy output in terms of burritos too! If you’re an American and you’re anxious about what your friends might think when you tell them how many watts, burritos, or beehives (the amazing bee is our mascot after all) you burned at the gym, don’t you worry. Just let them know: “It’s all the rage in Europe.”
